Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday urged lawyers to defend the judiciary amid verbal attacks from the Trump administration due to recent rulings.
“Our job is to stand up for people who can’t do it themselves. And our job is to be the champion of lost causes,” Sotomayor said during a Thursday event for the American Bar Association, according to The Associated Press.
“But right now, we can’t lose the battles we are facing. And we need trained and passionate and committed lawyers to fight this fight,” she added.
The Supreme Court justice did not mention President Trump by name. Her comments come amid growing anxiety in the legal industry, as Trump has used executive actions to pressure certain law firms he sees as antagonistic. He has also attacked specific judges who have ruled against him on his agenda.
Sotomayor’s colleague, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, shared similar remarks last week encouraging judges to remain steadfast in the face of challenges.
“Across the nation, judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence, but also professional retaliation just for doing our jobs,” Jackson said while addressing a group of judges gathered for a conference in Puerto Rico, according to The New York Times.
The comments come months after the president pushed back on a ruling banning the removal of Venezuelan immigrants who were alleged gang members.
“If a President doesn’t have the right to throw murderers, and other criminals, out of our Country because a Radical Left Lunatic Judge wants to assume the role of President, then our Country is in very big trouble, and destined to fail!” Trump posted on Truth Social in March.
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts issued a stark rebuke for Trump proposing the presiding judge be impeached for not ruling in the administration’s favor.
“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on Sotomayor’s statements.
