Speaking at a conference for judges in Puerto Rico on May 1, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned her listeners of the current attacks on judges. She began by saying that she wanted to address “the elephant in the room”.
“ Across the nation, judges are facing increased
threats of not only physical violence, but also professional retaliation just
for doing our jobs. And the attacks are not random. They seem designed to
intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity.”
Jackson did not mention
President Trump or refer to any specific incidents but her speech came after several
calls by Trump and members of his cabinet for impeachment of judges ruling
against the Trump administration.
And just last week Judge
Hannah Dugan was arrested for allegedly attempting to protect a man from being
arrested by ICE officials.
Jackson pointed out the
larger effect on society of these attacks:
“A society in which judges are routinely made
to fear for their own safety or their own livelihood due to their decisions is
one that has substantially departed from the norms of behavior that govern a
democratic system. Attacks on judicial independence is how countries that are
not free, not fair, and not rule of law oriented, operate.”
“Having an independent judiciary — defined as
judges who are indifferent to improper pressure and determine and decide each
case according to the rule of law — is one of the key ingredients that makes a
free and fair society work.”
“It can sometimes take raw courage to remain
steadfast in doing what the law requires.”
Such comments in a
public speech are rare for Justice Jackson. For this talk she received the tribute of a standing ovation.
Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/us/politics/supreme-court-justice-jackson.html
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