The organization said justices deserved respect and urged bar associations to defend courts’ work
American Bar Association president Michelle A. Behnke has criticized US president Donald Trump’s response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the legality of many global tariffs the president sought to impose.
Trump’s social media posts after the ruling voiced his disrespect of the court; he described the decision as “ridiculous, dumb, and very internationally divisive” in one post. At a news conference, he said that the conservative judges who supported the ruling were an “embarrassment to their families” while the liberal judges were a “disgrace to our nation,” per ABC News. He also claimed the judges were “disloyal to the [US] Constitution.”
Behnke said the president’s remarks were “not acceptable and cross a dangerous line that threatens the safety of the judiciary and our judicial process.”
“The men and women of the Supreme Court, regardless of who appointed them, deserve respect for exercising their duty to interpret the Constitution faithfully and independently,” she said in her statement. “Vigorous debate over policy is a strength of our democracy, but attacks that demean the judiciary are not. Incendiary rhetoric has helped contribute to the alarming increase in attacks on and threats to our judges. It must stop.”
Behnke added that although judicial opinions could be criticized, disagreements should be aired “with respect for the facts and the law and must respect the independence and integrity of the courts.”
“Personal attacks against individual justices, particularly allegations that they are influenced by ‘foreign interests,’ are wholly inappropriate. Such statements risk undermining the rule of law and the public’s faith in an impartial judiciary, foundational pillars of our democracy that have guided our nation since its founding,” she said.
Behnke urged leaders to show restraint in public discourse involving the judiciary. She also called on other bar associations to defend the courts’ work.
The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on the tariffs was released on Friday February 20.
