Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts at the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2014. The judge publicly responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for the impeachment of a federal judge. © AP
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In an extraordinary display of conflict between the executive and judiciary branches, Chief Justice John Roberts rejected calls for impeaching judges shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded the removal of one who ruled against his deportation plans.
The rebuke from the Supreme Court's leader demonstrated how controversy over recent flights of Venezuelan immigrants has inflamed tensions over the judiciary's role, with a legal case challenging Trump's actions now threatening to spiral into a clash of constitutional powers.