Chief Justice Roberts Says Americans Continue to Admire the Constitution

In his annual report, Roberts stressed the importance of an independent judiciary.

(L–R) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy attend President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 4, 2025. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Chief Justice John Roberts said on Dec. 31 that as the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2026, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence remain sources of inspiration for Americans.

The comments, which did not reference any recent or currently pending Supreme Court cases, came in Roberts’s annual year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary.