Justice Sonia Sotomayor defends 'fearlessly independent' judiciary amid Trump attacks
Remarks by liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor came as President Donald Trump and his allies have harshly criticized judges for blocking his second term agenda.
WASHINGTON — Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Friday stressed the importance of an independent judiciary and fealty to the rule of law amid harsh rhetoric from the Trump administration against judges who have impeded its policies.
Sotomayor, speaking to students at Georgetown Law Center in Washington, said it was vital that everyone “ensure that the courts are fearlessly independent, that we understand that our obligation is to protect the rights given to us under the Constitution.”
“More than ever, we have to get up and explain and repeat and explain again why judicial independence is critical to everyone’s freedom, because arbitrary power is just that, and it means that anyone is going to be subject to unfairness at someone else’s whim,” she added.
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Sotomayor did not directly address the aggressive executive actions taken by the Trump administration and the president’s angry criticism of judges, including calls for impeachment.
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