Judicial independence under threat, warns Chief Justice Roberts [Video]

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a defense Tuesday of judicial independence, which he said is under threat from intimidation, disinformation and the prospect of public officials defying court orders.Related video above: Can birthright citizenship be repealed? SCOTUS may have a sayRoberts laid out his concerns in his annual report on the federal judiciary. It was released after a year where the nation’s court system was unusually enmeshed in a closely fought presidential race, with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump assailing the integrity of judges who ruled against him as he faced criminal charges for which he denied wrongdoing.Trump won the race following a landmark Supreme Court immunity decision penned by Roberts that, along with another high court decision halting efforts to disqualify him from the ballot, removed obstacles to his election.The immunity decision was criticized by Democrats like President Joe Biden, who later called for term limits and an enforceable …