Republicans defend Supreme Court after Trump criticizes justices

On the 45th anniversary of Sandra Day O’Connor being sworn in as the first female Supreme Court Justice, Republican senators have responded to criticisms made by Donald Trump regarding the Court's independence.

Following the Supreme Court's decision to block parts of a plan to have the U.S. Postal Service screen mail-in ballots, Donald Trump criticized appointed justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, stating they “are merely a shell of their original selves.”

In response, Republican senators, including John Kennedy of Louisiana and John Cornyn of Texas, defended the judiciary. Senator Cornyn emphasized that “an independent judiciary is really the most important institution in our government,” while Senator Kennedy stated that the justices “do their very best to call it like they see it.”

Separately, the Trump administration has requested the Supreme Court to permit the use of the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database to identify noncitizens on state voter rolls. The case is fully briefed and awaiting a decision.