This is the 2024 Year End Report of the Federal Judiciary. It was written by Chief Justice John Roberts. For those who believe in defending the Constitution, it is worth reading and pondering.
It contains a statistical summary of the caseload of the judiciary, but more important, in my opinion, is the opening statement of the Chief Justice that deals with the independence of the judiciary.
As Chief Justice Roberts points out, the United States is unique in that its judiciary does not report to the Congress or the President, but is supposed to be largely independent. The “rule of law”, of course, means that everyone is subject to the same bodies of law governing their actions, and not the political whims of whomever claims to represent the majority of the people at any one time. Without the rule of law, the majority could imprison you, execute you or take your property as they desired.
Without a functional rule of law, disputes in society devolve into force and violence – the people who bring the most weapons and bodies to bear rule over those who do not have similar access to violent dispute resolution.
Chief Justice Roberts writes at length that the “rule of law” depends on the independence of the judiciary. In turn, he writes about four threats to the independence of the judiciary: (1) violence, (2) intimidation, (3) disinformation, and (4) threats to defy lawfully entered judgments.
I suspect that Chief Justice Roberts wrote this piece in anticipation of a tumultuous 2025 where the rulings of federal courts will be simply ignored if they conflict with what Congress or the President desires. Federal courts lack any enforcement mechanisms other than our nation’s belief in and adherence to the “rule of law.” There is no tank battalion at the command of the Supreme Court.
