FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2017 file photo, Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during the Bicentennial of Mississippi's Judiciary and Legal Profession Banquet in Jackson, Miss. Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s description of a judge who ruled against the administration’s new asylum policy as an “Obama judge.” It’s the first time that the leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him. Roberts says Wednesday that the U.S. doesn’t have ”Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” He is commenting in a statement released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2017 file photo, Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during the Bicentennial of Mississippi's Judiciary and Legal Profession Banquet in Jackson, Miss. Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s description of a judge who ruled against the administration’s new asylum policy as an “Obama judge.” It’s the first time that the leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him. Roberts says Wednesday that the U.S. doesn’t have ”Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” He is commenting in a statement released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts clashed Wednesday in an extraordinary public dispute over the independence of America’s judiciary, with Roberts bluntly rebuking the president for denouncing a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.”

There’s no such thing, Roberts declared in a strongly worded statement contradicting Trump and defending judicial independence. Never silent for long, Trump defended his own comment, tweeting defiantly, “Sorry Justice Roberts.”

The pre-Thanksgiving dustup was the first time that Roberts, the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary, has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has several times blasted federal judges who have ruled against him.

Before now, it has been highly unusual for a president to single out judges for personal criticism. And a chief justice’s challenge to a president’s comments is downright unprecedented in modern times.

It seemed a fight that Trump would relish but one that Roberts has taken pains to avoid. But with Roberts’ court feeling the heat over the president’s appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Roberts and several of his colleagues have gone out of their way to rebut perceptions of the court as a political institution divided between five conservative Republicans and four liberal Democrats.

Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court and lower federal courts have themselves spurred charges that the courts are becoming more politicized. As the justice widely seen as closest to the court’s middle, Roberts could determine the outcome of high-profile cases that split the court.

The new drama began with remarks Trump made Tuesday in which went after a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum order. The president claimed, not for the first time, that the federal appeals court based in San Francisco was biased against him.

Roberts had refused to comment on Trump’s earlier attacks on judges, including the chief justice himself. But on Wednesday, after a query by The Associated Press, he spoke up for the independence of the federal judiciary and rejected the notion that judges are loyal to the presidents who appoint them.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them,” Roberts said.

On the day before Thanksgiving, he concluded, “The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”

Trump hit back from his resort home in Florida, questioning the independence of federal judges appointed by his predecessor and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He especially criticized judges on California’s 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges,’ and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” the president tweeted.

If the 9th Circuit judges are independent, he said, “why are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. ... these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!”

Trump has never been reticent about criticizing the judiciary. Last year, the president scorned the “so-called judge” who made the first federal ruling against his travel ban. During the presidential campaign, he criticized Roberts himself for the chief justice’s decisive vote in 2012 to preserve President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

Trump also referred to an Indiana-born judge of Mexican descent, who was presiding over a fraud lawsuit against Trump University, as a Mexican who would be unable to rule fairly because of Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The president’s remarks on Tuesday came when a reporter asked for his reaction to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco that put the administration’s asylum policy on hold. Under that new policy, Trump declared no one could apply for asylum except at an official border entry point. That tends to back migrants up for weeks if not months. A number of migrants remain in Tijuana after traveling in a caravan to reach the U.S.

Trump complained that his opponents file lawsuits in courts that are part of California’s liberal-leaning 9th Circuit. It’s not unusual for those challenging a president’s policies to sue in courts they consider likely to back their claims. Conservative groups tended to bring challenges to Obama-era policies in Texas, part of the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans.

“Every case that gets filed in the 9th Circuit, we get beaten. And then we end up having to go to the Supreme Court, like the travel ban, and we won,” Trump said.

The president went on to say about the asylum ruling: “This was an Obama judge. And I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to happen like this anymore. ”

The initial travel ban ruling in 2017 was issued by U.S. District Judge James Robart, an appointee of President George W. Bush in Washington state. Roberts, too, was appointed by Bush.

It was unclear what Trump meant when he said things would change. The 9th Circuit is by far the largest of the federal appellate courts, covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Some Republicans in 9th Circuit states have proposed splitting the circuit in two, but legislation has not advanced.

The court has long had a majority of judges appointed by Democratic presidents, with the current breakdown at 16-7. But Trump has the opportunity to narrow that edge significantly because there are six vacancies, and he already has nominated candidates for five of them.</s>There is breaking news from the New York Times tonight. According to two sources, Donald Trump attempted to push the DOJ to prosecute Hillary Clinton and James Comey.

Ari Melber led with this story on The Beat tonight. Here is his opening monologue before the guest panel joined:

"Breaking news on the most significant legal scandal to hit this White House since the report that Donald Trump tried to fire Bob Mueller. This is truly a bombshell. President Donald trump tried to order the Justice Department to prosecute not one but two of his biggest adversaries, Hillary Clinton and James Comey. The story is that in the spring, Donald Trump told his White House counsel, Don McGahn, that he wanted the DOJ officials to explicitly prosecute Hillary Clinton and James Comey. So that right there is a potentially illegal act. And that is quite important, given that obstruction is still under investigation in this White House. What happened next is also important. Don McGahn, according to this New York Times report, refused and then went on to try to show Donald Trump in detail why this was, potentially an impeachable bad idea. White House lawyers wrote this memo described in the Times saying if they went forward, the consequences would be damaging and, yes, would include, quote, possible impeachment. Now that right there is a big deal. It is usually Donald Trump's critics and adversaries who are talking about his potential impeachment. We don't use the "I" word because it is an extreme constitutional remedy. According to the New York Times it was his own lawyers, his chief counsel, Don McGahn, saying, "Mr. President, if you do this, you could be impeached." That's not all. The Times reporting that Donald Trump would go on to continue to privately agitate for these investigations of Hillary Clinton, obviously his chief rival in politics, and James Comey, his former FBI director. 

 This news I want to be clear is a scale way beyond anything else we have seen in legal controversies with Donald Trump. And that's saying something. ...This is a report tonight for the first time that the President of the United States actively and explicitly tried to prosecute Hillary Clinton, a political opponent, and James Comey, the key witness in the obstruction probe. That request, if it happened, that order, if it was given, is blatantly unconstitutional."

If true, this is an abuse of power and obstruction of justice that could open the doors to impeachment. Donald Trump told Don McGahn that he wanted to do this and McGahn "rebuffed" him, saying he could not order that prosecution. McGahn further said that "while he could request an investigation, that too could prompt accusations of abuse of power" and warned that "if he asked law enforcement to investigate his rivals, he could face a range of consequences, including possible impeachment."

McGahn has since left the White House. It is not clear if Trump tried to get Clinton or Comey charged through other means and he has been vocal about his desire to appoint a second special counsel to investigate both Clinton and Comey (for what crimes, no one knows).

Has Trump discussed this with his new lackey, Matt Whitaker? Did he push Jeff Sessions to pursue charges before Sessions was fired? And how much does Mueller know?</s>Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts sharply rebuked Donald Trump for remarks he made on Tuesday night about a federal judge’s ruling on the migrant caravan, ordering the U.S. to process asylum claims.

Trump told reporters: “This was an Obama judge and I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to happen like this anymore…We will win that case in the Supreme Court of the United States.”

Said Roberts in a statement to the AP: “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them.”</s>President Donald Trump on Tuesday made some claims about a federal judge’s inability to be impartial due to his being appointed by former President Barack Obama. The highest-ranked judge in the highest court of the United States had something to say about that.

Chief Justice John Roberts rebutted Trump’s comments on Wednesday, telling the president and the public through a statement from the Supreme Court that he disagreed with the assessment from the chief executive.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts said, per reporting from ABC News. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”

It’s a stunning and rare statement from any justice of the Supreme Court to make, let alone the chief justice.

Trump had expressed misgivings and frustrations with a previous ruling from a judge on an appellate court, who had ruled that his administration’s new rules restricting who can or cannot apply for asylum protections upon entering the country were improperly implemented.

“Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar wrote in his opinion, according to recent reporting from the Inquisitr.

Trump went on the attack on Tuesday after the ruling was made, alleging that Tigar’s ruling was not impartial because he was an “Obama judge.”

Trump also berated the Ninth District Court, of which Tigar is a part of.

“The 9th Circuit is something we have to take a look at because it is not fair,” Trump said, per additional reporting from ABC News. The president claimed those opposed to his policies had only to “run to this very friendly circuit” in order to get judges to rule in their favor and against him.

Before the comments from Roberts were made, Trump made a prediction that he would prevail at the end of the day. “We will win that case in the Supreme Court of the United States,” he said on Tuesday.

Following Roberts’s remarks, it’s less clear if the president will be successful in his appeal. Then again, Roberts did not signal whether he agreed with Tigar’s ruling or not — Roberts’s comments were made to point out he believed attacking a judge based on who made the appointment served no purpose and made no sense logically in the judiciary branch of the United States government.</s>Chief Justice John Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against Trump's migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It's the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him.

Roberts said Wednesday the U.S. doesn't have "Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges." He commented in a statement released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press.

Roberts said on the day before Thanksgiving that an "independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

The White House had no immediate response to a request for comment on Roberts' criticism.

Last year, the president used the term a "so-called judge" after the first federal ruling against his travel ban. During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized Roberts himself for the chief justice's decisive vote in 2012 to preserve the Obama health care overhaul.

Trump also referred to a judge who was presiding over a fraud lawsuit against Trump University as a Mexican who would be unable to rule fairly because of Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The president's latest remarks come as the Supreme Court is enmeshed in controversy over his appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Several justices have spoken out about judicial independence and the danger of having the court viewed as a political institution that is divided between five conservative Republicans and four liberal Democrats. Roberts is widely seen as the justice closest to the middle and likely to determine the outcome of high-profile cases that split the court.

Trump had spoken Tuesday when a reporter asked for his reaction to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco that put the administration's asylumpolicy on hold.

The president complained that his opponents file lawsuits in courts that are part of the liberal-leaning 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Before he took office, conservative groups tended to bring challenges to Obama-era policies in Texas, part of the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Every case that gets filed in the 9th Circuit, we get beaten. And then we end up having to go to the Supreme Court, like the travel ban, and we won," Trump said.

The president went on to say about the asylum ruling: "This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore. "

But the initial travel ban ruling in 2017 was issued by U.S. District Judge James Robart, an appointee of President George W. Bush. Roberts also was appointed by Bush.

It was unclear what Trump meant when he said things would change. The 9th Circuit is by far the largest of the federal appellate courts, covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Some Republicans in 9th Circuit states have proposed splitting the circuit in two, but legislation has not advanced.

The court has long had a majority of judges appointed by Democratic presidents, with the current breakdown at 16-7. But Trump has the opportunity to narrow that edge significantly because there are six vacancies, and he already has nominated candidates for five of them.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump for his description of a judge who ruled against Trump's migrant asylum policy as an "Obama judge."

It's the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him.

Roberts said Wednesday the U.S. doesn't have "Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges." He commented in a statement released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press.

Roberts said on the day before Thanksgiving that an "independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

Last year, the president used the term a "so-called judge" after the first federal ruling against his travel ban. During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized Roberts himself for the chief justice's decisive vote in 2012 to preserve the Obama health care overhaul.

Trump also referred to a judge who was presiding over a fraud lawsuit against Trump University as a Mexican who would be unable to rule fairly because of Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The president's latest remarks come as the Supreme Court is enmeshed in controversy over his appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Several justices have spoken out about judicial independence and the danger of having the court viewed as a political institution that is divided between five conservative Republicans and four liberal Democrats.

Trump had spoken Tuesday when a reporter asked for his reaction to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco that put the administration's asylum policy on hold.

The president complained that his opponents file their lawsuits in courts that are part of the liberal-leaning 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Every case that gets filed in the 9th Circuit, we get beaten. And then we end up having to go to the Supreme Court, like the travel ban, and we won," Trump said.

The president went on to say about the asylum ruling: "This was an Obama judge."

But the initial travel ban ruling in 2017 was issued by U.S. District Judge James Robart, an appointee of President George W. Bush. Roberts also was appointed by Bush.

The White House had no immediate response to a request for comment on Roberts' criticism on Wednesday.</s>In an extraordinary rebuke of a president, Chief Justice John Roberts chastised Donald Trump Wednesday for going after a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum order as an "Obama judge." Trump quickly lashed back defending his own criticism.

It's the first time the Republican-appointed leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who had previously blasted other federal judges who ruled against him. In a brief but pointed statement, Roberts strongly defended the independence of the federal judiciary and rejected the notion that judges are loyal to the presidents who appointed them.

"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them," Roberts said in a statement that was released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press.

On the day before Thanksgiving, he concluded, "The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

Never silent for long, Trump hit back from his resort home in Florida, bluntly questioning the independence of federal judges appointed by his predecessor and others and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He especially criticized those on California's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have 'Obama judges,' and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country," the president tweeted.

If the 9th Circuit judges are independent, he said, "why are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. ... these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!"

Before Trump, it had been highly unusual for presidents to single out judges for personal criticism. And a chief justice's challenge to a president's comments is unprecedented in modern times.

But Roberts and the high court find themselves at an especially stressful moment. In the aftermath of Trump's appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, several justices have spoken out about judicial independence and the danger of having the court viewed merely as a political institution divided between five conservative Republicans and four liberal Democrats. Roberts is widely seen as the justice closest to the middle and likely to determine the outcome of high-profile cases that split the court.

The White House had no immediate response to a request for comment on Roberts' criticism.

Trump has shown no reticence about criticizing the judiciary. Last year, the president scorned the "so-called judge" who made the first federal ruling against his travel ban. During the presidential campaign, he criticized Roberts himself for the chief justice's decisive vote in 2012 to preserve President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Trump also referred to an Indiana-born judge of Mexican descent, who was presiding over a fraud lawsuit against Trump University, as a Mexican who would be unable to rule fairly because of Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The president's latest remarks were made Tuesday when a reporter asked for his reaction to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco that put the administration's asylum policy on hold. Under that new policy, Trump declared no one could apply for asylum except at an official border entry point. That tends to back migrants up for weeks if not months.

A number of migrants remain camped in Tijuana after traveling in a caravan to reach the U.S.

In Washington, meanwhile, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Wednesday the White House has given him authority to use military troops to protect Customs and Border Protection personnel, with lethal force if necessary, at the southwest border. The mission thus far for about 5,800 active-duty troops at the border has been mainly to lay barbed wire.

On Tuesday, the president complained that his opponents file lawsuits in courts that are part of California's liberal-leaning 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It's not unusual for those challenging a president's policies to sue in courts they consider likely to back their claims. Conservative groups tended to bring challenges to Obama-era policies in Texas, part of the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Every case that gets filed in the 9th Circuit, we get beaten. And then we end up having to go to the Supreme Court, like the travel ban, and we won," Trump said.

The president went on to say about the asylum ruling: "This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore. "

In fact, the initial travel ban ruling in 2017 was issued by U.S. District Judge James Robart, an appointee of President George W. Bush in Washington state. Roberts, too, was appointed by Bush.

It was unclear what Trump meant when he said things would change. The 9th Circuit is by far the largest of the federal appellate courts, covering Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Some Republicans in 9th Circuit states have proposed splitting the circuit in two, but legislation has not advanced.

The court has long had a majority of judges appointed by Democratic presidents, with the current breakdown at 16-7. But Trump has the opportunity to narrow that edge significantly because there are six vacancies, and he already has nominated candidates for five of them.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2017 file photo, Chief Justice John Roberts speaks during the Bicentennial of Mississippi's Judiciary and Legal Profession Banquet in Jackson, Miss. Roberts is pushing back against President Donald Trump’s description of a judge who ruled against the administration’s new asylum policy as an “Obama judge.” It’s the first time that the leader of the federal judiciary has offered even a hint of criticism of Trump, who has previously blasted federal judges who ruled against him. Roberts says Wednesday that the U.S. doesn’t have ”Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” He is commenting in a statement released by the Supreme Court after a query by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (Rogelio V. Solis)</s>WASHINGTON – U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday issued an extraordinary statement in response to President Donald Trump’s criticism of federal judges, one day after the president blamed an “Obama judge” for ruling against his administration’s ban on asylum for those who cross the border illegally.

"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges," Roberts said in a statement released the day before Thanksgiving. "What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them."

"That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for," the statement concluded.

On Tuesday, Trump had told reporters outside the White House that he would file a "major complaint" against the federal judge who temporarily blocked his administration from denying asylum to migrants who illegally cross the southern border.

"This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what, it's not going to happen like this anymore," Trump said. "It means an automatic loss no matter what you do... People should not be allowed to immediately run to this very friendly circuit and file their case."

He added that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which also previously blocked his executive order banning immigration from several Muslim-majority countries, was a “disgrace.”</s>United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday rebuked President Donald Trump for denouncing a judge who rejected his asylum policy as an “Obama judge”. On November 9, Trump had issued a proclamation that migrants who crossed the border “unlawfully or without proper documentation” would be ineligible for asylum. District Judge Jon S Tigar revoked this order on Tuesday.

Denouncing the judge, Trump told a reporter that the administration loses every case which is filed in California’s 9th Circuit court. “This was an Obama judge,” he added. “And I’ll tell you what, it’s not going to happen like this anymore.” The reference was to former US President Barack Obama.

“We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges,” Roberts told AP on Wednesday. “What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. “The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for.”

But Trump stuck to his claim that the judge who revoked the asylum policy was an “Obama judge”. “Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have ‘Obama judges’, and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country,” he tweeted.

“It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an ‘independent judiciary’, but if it is, why are so many opposing view [on border and safety cases] filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned?” Trump asked. “Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security – these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!”
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts replies to President Donald Trump who described the judge who ruled on Monday against his migrant asylum order as an "Obama judge."