Hawkeye Reporter

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan have sent a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, raising concerns about recent anonymous statements made by federal judges criticizing the Supreme Court. The comments, reported in the press, describe tensions between the Supreme Court and lower courts as a “war zone” and accuse the Supreme Court of “undermining the lower courts.”

Grassley and Jordan argue that such public remarks could undermine trust in the judiciary and may violate ethical standards for federal judges. In their letter, they stated: “As the Chairmen of the Committees on the Judiciary in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, we preside over the congressional committees with legislative and oversight jurisdiction over the federal courts. We are deeply concerned that these public attacks on the Court from sitting federal judges damage the public’s faith and confidence in our judicial system. When judges call into question the legitimacy of their own branch of government, they erode faith in the institution itself.”

The lawmakers have asked Chief Justice Roberts to clarify whether these statements breach provisions of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges and if there will be any investigation or response from within the judiciary. They wrote: “We urge you to consider the appropriateness of these public yet anonymous comments and whether they breach the ethical obligations of all federal judges. While we do not yet know the full extent of the comments or who the judges are, we remain convinced that judges should not be going to the press to undermine and denigrate the Supreme Court.”

Federal judges are required to follow ethical guidelines set out in several canons within their code of conduct. These include maintaining integrity and independence (Canon 1), promoting public confidence (Canon 2(A)), and refraining from commenting publicly on pending matters (Canon 3(A)(6)). In a related incident from 2024, Chief Judge Albert Diaz determined that District Judge Michael Ponsor violated these canons by publishing an essay critical of a sitting Supreme Court justice.