As the BBA stated in its recent report on Judicial Independence, the tenor and frequency of malign attacks on judges seriously threaten to undermine the public’s confidence in our judicial system.
Recent verbal attacks on justices of the United States Supreme Court by elected officials at the highest levels of our executive and legislative branches of government illustrate how serious this threat remains.
The BBA condemns partisan challenges to the integrity of judges and the judicial process—particularly when public officials use inflammatory language. An independent judiciary, grounded in the rule of law, is essential to the separation of powers. Our democratic society depends on it.
The BBA will continue to support the independence of our judiciary, both by advancing the public’s understanding of the role of the judicial branch within the context of our government and by speaking when criticisms of judges cross the line into destructive, ill-informed, and personal diatribes.
