Trump Says He Would Fire Liberal Supreme Court Justices 'If I Could' at Las Vegas Rally
Key Takeaways
- •President Trump told a Las Vegas rally audience that he would dismiss the three liberal Supreme Court justices—Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—if he possessed the power to do so.
- •During his first term, Trump appointed three conservative justices, establishing a 6–3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, yet has periodically expressed frustration with rulings where conservative appointees did not side with his positions.
- •The U.S. Constitution grants federal judges lifetime tenure during "good Behaviour," and no president has the authority to remove a sitting Supreme Court justice outside of congressional impeachment.
- •Only one Supreme Court justice, Samuel Chase in 1804, has ever been impeached by the House, and he was subsequently acquitted by the Senate, with no justice ever removed through impeachment in American history.
- •The rally was part of Trump's continued outreach to voters in Nevada, a closely contested state, with economic policy serving as a central theme ahead of the approaching midterm elections.
President Donald Trump told a rally audience in Las Vegas on Wednesday that he would fire the three liberal Supreme Court justices if he had the power to do so.
Speaking at the Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, Trump used the appearance to once again test his economic messaging ahead of the approaching midterm elections. During his remarks, he turned to the topic of the Supreme Court and offered his assessment of the justices.
"You know, the Republican judges or justices, they don't stick together," Trump said. "But these three people that they have," he said, referring to the three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — "they all stick together like glue, and I respect that."
"It's too bad they're on because they're horrible for our country," Trump continued. "I'd like to fire them. I would fire them if I could."
The remark drew loud applause from the audience.
The president's comments come amid ongoing tensions between the White House and the federal judiciary. During his first term, Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett — cementing a 6–3 conservative majority. Despite that majority, Trump has periodically expressed frustration with rulings from the Court, including decisions in which some conservative-appointed justices did not align with his positions. His public criticism of individual judges and federal courts was a recurring feature of his first term, including disparaging rulings by judges appointed by Democratic presidents as politically motivated.
There is no constitutional mechanism that allows a president to remove a sitting Supreme Court justice. Article III of the U.S. Constitution grants federal judges tenure during "good Behaviour," a design the framers intended to insulate the judiciary from political pressure, meaning justices serve effectively for life unless they resign, retire, or are removed through impeachment by Congress. The only Supreme Court justice ever impeached by the House was Samuel Chase in 1804, who was acquitted by the Senate the following year. No Supreme Court justice has ever been removed through impeachment in American history.
The Las Vegas rally was part of Trump's continued outreach to voters in Nevada, a state that has been closely contested in recent election cycles. The event at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa focused in part on economic policy, a central theme of the president's messaging as the midterm elections approach.
