In response to criticism of federal judges who have hindered President Donald Trump’s objectives, Chief Justice John Roberts asserted on Wednesday that judicial independence is essential to "restrain the overreach of the legislative or executive branches."

Chief Justice Roberts, who leads the Supreme Court and all federal judges, said that judicial independence is very important at a meeting of judges and lawyers in his hometown.

He said the Constitution's only new idea was creating three equal parts of government. He added that this new idea doesn't work if the courts are not independent.

The 70-year-old chief justice mostly repeated what he had said before. But his comments, when another federal judge asked him questions, were applauded by the 600 people who came together to celebrate the 125th anniversary of federal courts in the Western District of New York.

When asked about what Trump and his supporters said about removing judges because of their decisions, Roberts mostly said the same thing he said in March. He stated that impeachment is not the way to show you disagree with a decision.

Roberts stated he has no intentions of retiring as he approaches the 20th anniversary of his confirmation to the nation’s highest court.

His arrival in his birthplace occurred less than a week after Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's strong disapproval of assaults on members of the judiciary.

Speaking at a meeting of judges and lawyers in Puerto Rico, Jackson mentioned the "constant attacks, lack of respect, and criticism that judges across the country, and maybe many of you, are now dealing with every day."

In comments published on the court's website, Jackson referred to the attacks as a significant but unspoken issue during a speech that notably omitted any mention of Trump.

The president, along with senior aide Stephen Miller and billionaire Elon Musk, have strongly criticized judges who have stopped parts of Trump's plans. Sometimes they have made very personal attacks. Trump called the judge who temporarily stopped deportations using an old wartime law from the 18th century a “radical left lunatic.”

There have also been worrying attempts to scare judges and their children, like sending unwanted pizza to their homes. Some of these deliveries were sent using the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was killed by a lawyer at the family home in 2020.

These deliveries are threats meant to show that the people trying to scare the judge know where the judge or their family lives, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, wrote on Tuesday in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Trump has mostly refrained from criticising the Supreme Court, which is considering several urgent appeals against lower court decisions that have disadvantaged him.

The president's track record before the justices has been inconsistent. Notably, on Tuesday, the court's conservative majority reinstated the administration's prohibition on transgender military personnel, notwithstanding ongoing legal challenges to the policy. The three liberal justices registered their dissent.

However, the court has also issued a temporary suspension on certain deportations of purported Venezuelan gang members, citing an 18th-century wartime statute. Furthermore, the justices ruled that deportations are impermissible without providing individuals an opportunity to contest them legally.

Next week, the court will listen to arguments about Trump's executive order. This order would stop children born in the US from becoming citizens if their parents are in the country illegally. The Justice Department wants to make the lower court orders less broad. This would allow the rules to be used in more than half of the country while the cases are still being decided.