Weeks before the Trump inauguration, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts delivers a warning on the importance of 'judicial independence'.

John Roberts, the Supreme Court's Chief Justice, issued a warning on Tuesday about the importance of "maintaining judicial independence" before President-elect Trump's inauguration.

Roberts explained his concerns in his annual report on the federal judiciary.

"Judicial work is not designed to make everyone happy, as most cases result in a winner and a loser. Despite this, every administration experiences losses in the court system, sometimes with significant consequences for executive or legislative power or other important issues. However, in recent decades, the decisions of the courts, regardless of their popularity, have been followed, and the nation has avoided the conflicts that plagued the 1950s and 1960s."

"In recent years, elected officials from various political backgrounds have raised concerns about disregarding federal court rulings, without mentioning specific individuals such as Trump or Biden. These suggestions, though infrequent, must be rejected. Judicial independence is crucial to upholding the rule of law. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once stated, an independent judiciary is "essential to the rule of law in any land," but it is "vulnerable to assault" and can be "shattered" if the society it serves does not take steps to preserve it."

Roberts urged all Americans to value the legacy bequeathed by our ancestors and to preserve its longevity.

Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes also stated that the three branches of government must cooperate successfully to ensure the efficient functioning of the government department responsible for protecting individual liberties with impartiality and independence.

The rule of law is crucial for our political system and economic strength, as stated by Roberts.

The Supreme Court's landmark decision granting immunity to Roberts and another high court ruling halting efforts to disqualify Trump from the ballot were hailed as major victories on the Republican nominee's path to winning the election. The immunity decision was met with criticism from Democrats, including Biden, who later advocated for term limits and an enforceable ethics code following criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.

A group of Democrats and a Republican lawmaker urged Biden to disregard a Trump-appointed judge's decision to revoke FDA approval for the abortion drug mifepristone last year. Biden did not take executive action to bypass the ruling, and the Supreme Court granted the White House a stay, allowing the sale of the medication to continue.

Last year, the high court's conservative majority ruled that Biden's student loan debt forgiveness efforts were an illegal use of executive power.

In 2018, Trump and Roberts had a disagreement over the president's criticism of a judge who ruled against his migrant asylum policy, with Roberts rebuking Trump for calling the judge an "Obama judge."

In 2020, Roberts criticized Schumer's comments about the Supreme Court's abortion case.

Trump is preparing for a second term as president with a conservative agenda, which may face legal challenges and end up before a court with a conservative majority, including three justices appointed by him during his first term.

The chief justice wrote in the annual report that even if court decisions are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration, other branches of government must enforce them to maintain the rule of law. Roberts cited the Brown v. Board of Education decision as an example of a decision that required federal enforcement in the face of resistance from southern governors.

He stated that attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.

Public officials and others have the right to criticize rulings, but they should also be mindful that their statements can "trigger harmful responses from others," as Roberts stated.

Over the past ten years, the number of threats directed at federal judges has more than tripled, as per statistics from the U.S. Marshals Service. In 2022 and 2023, state court judges in Wisconsin and Maryland were tragically assassinated at their homes.

"Judges who face violence, intimidation, and defiance because of their work are undermining our Republic, and such behavior is completely unacceptable," he stated.

Judges' independence is threatened by disinformation about court rulings, which can be amplified by social media and exploited by hostile foreign state actors to widen divisions, as Roberts stated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.