Chief Justice Roberts visits Rice to speak about the challenges facing the judiciary. The hour-long conversation was moderated by Houston District Judge Lee Rosenthal. Photo by the Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts said he condemned personal attacks on judges around the country in a rare public appearance in Houston at Rice University on March 20, 2026.
The conversation was hosted by Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and moderated by Houston District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.
“Criticism comes with the territory. The problem, sometimes, is that criticism can move from a focus on legal analysis to personality,” Roberts said. “Judges around the country work very hard to get it right, and if they don’t, their opinions are subject to criticism. But personally directed hostility is dangerous and has got to stop.”
Roberts was appointed by President George W. Bush and has served as Chief Justice of the United States since 2005.
Roberts’ comments came days after President Trump criticized a Supreme Court decision written by Roberts which struck down Trump’s tarriffs.
“This completely inept and embarrassing Court was not what the Supreme Court of the United States was set up by our wonderful Fonders to be,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Rosenthal was appointed a United States District Court Judge for the Houston Division in 1992 by President George W. Bush.
She says that fear of political violence and retailiation is also an issue she faces at the local level, personally thanking Roberts for his support of local judges and officials.
“It’s very much part of our lives these days, and on behalf of trial judges everywhere, I want to personally thank you because while we know you may not always agree with us, we know that you’ll always have our backs,” Rosenthal said.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Roberts ended the discussion by reflecting on the state of the nation’s judicial systems
“From my perspective, the sun is rising,” Roberts said. “The commitment I see, not only on the court, but in the trial judges…the faith of so many people in our institutions, emerges from the criticism stronger. We’re at two centuries, and I think it’s going to continue for many more.”