Chief Justice Roberts says judicial independence is key to checking Congress and the president

BUFFALO (AP) — Amid attacks on federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump's agenda, Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday defended judicial independence as necessary to “check the excesses of the Congress or the executive.”

“Judicial independence is crucial,” Roberts, the leader of the Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary, said at a gathering of judges and lawyers in his hometown.

He described the creation of three co-equal branches of government as the Constitution's one innovation. “That innovation doesn’t work if the judiciary is not independent,” he said.

The 70-year-old chief justice largely repeated things he has said previously. But his comments, in response to questions from another federal judge, drew applause from the 600 people who gathered to mark the 125th anniversary of federal courts in the Western District of New York.

Asked about comments from Trump and his allies supporting the impeachment of judges because of their rulings, Roberts largely repeated the statement he issued in March. "Impeachment is not how you register disagreement with a decision,” he said.

Roberts also said he has no plans to retire as he nears the 20th anniversary of his confirmation to the nation's highest court.

His appearance in the city where he was born followed — by less than a week — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's forceful condemnation of attacks on judges.

In a speech to a conference of judges and lawyers in Puerto Rico, Jackson talked about “the relentless attacks and disregard and disparagement that judges around the country, and perhaps many of you, are now facing on a daily basis.”

Jackson, in remarks posted on the court's website, described the attacks as “the elephant in the room” in the course of a talk that did not once mention Trump.

The president, senior aide Stephen Miller and billionaire Elon Musk have railed at judges who have blocked parts of Trump’s agenda, sometimes with highly personal attacks. Trump called the judge who temporarily halted deportations using an 18th century wartime law a “radical left lunatic.”

There also have been unsettling attempts at intimidation in the form of unwanted pizza deliveries to the homes of judges and their children. Some of those deliveries have been sent in the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was shot dead at the family home by a disgruntled lawyer in 2020.

“These deliveries are threats intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., wrote Tuesday in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Trump has largely spared the high court, which is weighing several emergency appeals of lower court rulings that have gone against him.

The president has a mixed record in front of the justices so far. On Tuesday, the court’s conservative majority revived the administration’s ban on transgender military service members while court challenges to the policy continue. The three liberal justices dissented.

But the court also has temporarily halted some deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th century wartime law. And the justices also said deportations can’t take place without giving people a chance to challenge them in court.

Next week, the court is hearing arguments over Trump’s executive order that would deny citizenship to American-born children of people who are in the country illegally. The Justice Department wants the court to narrow lower court orders so that the restrictions could be enforced in more than half the country, while the cases continue.

Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during a fireside chat at the 125th anniversary celebration of the United States District court for the Western District of New York, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Chief Justice John Roberts, right, speaks with U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo during a fireside chat at the 125th anniversary celebration of the United States District court for the Western District of New York, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during a fireside chat at the 125th anniversary celebration of the United States District court for the Western District of New York, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)