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. Roberts decried officials across the political spectrum who have raised the possibility of defying court orders and said other branches of government must be willing to enforce court orders even if they are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration. He laid out his concerns in an annual report released as Donald Trump prepares to start another term as president with an ambitions agenda that could end up before the Supreme Court.
