Judge Shopping

Jake Lo: What judge is going to believe that?
Agent Wesley: My judge
--Rapid Fire

After a US District judge in San Francisco issued a TRO to block a presidential proclamation that asylum requests would no longer be granted to those arriving the US illegally, President Trump criticized the decision of the Obama-appointed judge and added that he considered the rulings of the Ninth Circuit "a disgrace."

Subsequently, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts issued a rebuke of Trump's comments. "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, or Bush judges or Clinton judges, Roberts said. "What we have is a group of extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them."

He concluded, "The independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

Not only was openly commenting on a president's remarks an extraordinary measure for a chief justice, but Roberts is plainly wrong.

'Judge shopping' goes on all the time, with the Ninth Circuit being the frequent destination of leftist cases looking for friendly rulings--rulings that frequently get overturned in higher courts. Everyone knows it, including Trump, who responded to Roberts with a series of tweets:

Sorry Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do indeed have “Obama judges,” and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country. It would be great if the 9th Circuit was indeed an “independent judiciary,” but if it is why......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018

.....are so many opposing view (on Border and Safety) cases filed there, and why are a vast number of those cases overturned. Please study the numbers, they are shocking. We need protection and security - these rulings are making our country unsafe! Very dangerous and unwise!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018

There are a lot of CRIMINALS in the Caravan. We will stop them. Catch and Detain! Judicial Activism, by people who know nothing about security and the safety of our citizens, is putting our country in great danger. Not good!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018

“79% of these decisions have been overturned in the 9th Circuit.” @FoxNews A terrible, costly and dangerous disgrace. It has become a dumping ground for certain lawyers looking for easy wins and delays. Much talk over dividing up the 9th Circuit into 2 or 3 Circuits. Too big!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2018

Trump is right. We do not have an independent judiciary. Instead we have judges motivated by political interest--as John Roberts himself has demonstrated.