The American Board of Trial Advocates Supports Chief Justice Roberts' Defense of an Independent Judiciary
DALLAS (November 23, 2018)—The rule of law and the independence of the judiciary are
fundamental, guiding principles of our historic, constitutional system of the separation of
powers, created through the genius of our founding fathers, and so admired throughout the
world. Our founders purposely designed the judicial branch to be apolitical. Judges are governed
by the rule of law—not partisanship or shifting political winds.
Partisan assaults based on supposed political affiliation because of which administration
nominated a judge perpetuates a troubling misperception of the role of our courts and their
constitutional judicial independence. Attacks on specific judges or specific appellate
courts and threats to break up the courts are inappropriate and undermine the institutional
credibility of our judicial system. As stated by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch during his confirmation
hearings last year, these kinds of attacks are “demoralizing and disheartening.”
We applaud United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts for stating that:
"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What
we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal
right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we
should all be thankful for.”
The American Board of Trial Advocates fully supports Chief Justice John Roberts’ statement and
we give thanks for an independent judiciary.
Cynthia McGuinn
National President, American Board of Trial Advocates
About the American Board of Trial Advocates
Founded in 1958, ABOTA is an invitation‐only national association of experienced trial lawyers
and judges. ABOTA and its members are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the
civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. ABOTA
membership consists of more than 7,600 lawyers—equally balanced between plaintiff and
defense — and judges in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.