In a progressive welcoming move, Chief Justice John Roberts issued his New Year’s Eve annual report urging his fellow federal judges to stand up for democracy.
“In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government, and the protections it provides, is ever more vital,” he wrote. “We should celebrate our strong and independent judiciary, a key source of national unity and stability.”
He also offered, “We should reflect on our duty to judge without fear of favor, deciding each matter with humility, integrity and dispatch.”
Roberts then encouraged judges to “do our best to maintain the public’s trust that we are faithfully discharging our solemn obligation to equal justice under the law.”
The annual report did not specifically reference President Donald J. Trump by name, but it was certainly implied given the looming Senate impeachment trial. The full document can be read here.
Roberts was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2003. President George W. Bush nominated him as Chief Justice of the United States, and he took his seat September 29, 2005.