Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Criticizes Trump Over Remarks on Court and Justices

A conservative justice on the U.S. Supreme Court has pushed back against repeated criticism directed at the Supreme Court and individual justices by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Appearing on Fox News on the 4th (local time), Justice Samuel Alito said, "Generally speaking, I am concerned about the rising rhetoric and the comments made by people in important positions regarding the Supreme Court as a whole and individual justices."

Alito's remarks came in response to public criticism related to the court putting the brakes on key policies of the Trump administration, with justices appointed by Trump joining the majority opinions in those rulings.

The three justices appointed by Trump during his first term are Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Along with Chief Justice John Roberts, Alito, and Justice Clarence Thomas, six members of the court are classified as conservative.

However, even with a 6-3 conservative majority, the Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump in major cases, including a ruling against mutual tariffs in February of this year, the recognition of birthright citizenship in June, and a ruling prohibiting restrictions on mail-in voting in September.

President Trump specifically criticized the three justices he appointed, calling them "just empty shells of their former selves." In a recent interview with Time magazine, he also said, "I gave them lifetime appointments, and they frequently vote against me," adding that he regrets appointing them.

"I put all of that (remarks targeting the Supreme Court and justices) out of my mind, and I trust my colleagues put all of that out of their minds as well," Alito said. "I am concerned about the long-term impact that will have on the standing of the Supreme Court."

Alito pointed out that U.S. presidents, including Trump, tend to bypass a deeply polarized Congress through executive orders or the interpretation of laws and regulations, which in turn leads to an increase in opposing lawsuits and emergency applications.

"Presidents of both parties have become increasingly frustrated by their inability to persuade Congress to adopt their legislative agendas," Alito said. "And so they have sought to accomplish a great deal by using unilateral authority to issue executive orders, make new rules, or reinterpret existing laws and regulations."

"Those efforts have increasingly faced swift and vigorous counter-lawsuits," he explained, noting that "in 2025, there were more than 50 emergency applications in major civil cases, and a similar number of cases on the merits during a comparable period."

In response to a host's question that "left-wing groups are demanding reforms such as expanding the number of Supreme Court justices and imposing term or age limits on justices," Alito replied, "I am concerned."

He criticized such demands as "an organized effort to threaten the Supreme Court and the justices and influence us to judge cases differently from how we have judged them up to now."

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.