Supreme Court Justices Skip Trump’s State of the Union Address
Most of the U.S. Supreme Court justices were absent during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. This significant decision followed the court’s recent 6-3 ruling against Trump’s global tariff policy, marking a considerable setback for his administration.
Present were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., along with Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Meanwhile, Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson chose not to attend.
The Supreme Court’s ruling indicated that Trump’s extensive tariff plans exceeded his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. After this ruling, the president expressed strong dissatisfaction, stating he was “ashamed of some members of the court” and criticized their courage, even targeting some conservative judges he had appointed himself.
While there’s no legal obligation for justices to attend the State of the Union address, attendance has traditionally been common, with justices sitting together in the front row, clad in black robes. This practice serves as a visual statement of the judiciary’s equal status alongside the other branches of government.
Historically, attendance has varied among justices, reflecting their discomfort with the increasingly partisan nature of the event. For instance, Justice Alito hasn’t attended since 2010, after former President Barack Obama criticized a court ruling during his speech, prompting Alito to describe his experience at the address as akin to being a “proverbial potted plant.”
Roberts once perceived the atmosphere at such addresses to be “very disturbing” and questioned whether justices should appear at what could devolve into a political “pep rally.” Nevertheless, Roberts has attended every State of the Union since taking on the chief justice role in 2005.
Justices Thomas and Alito have mostly avoided the event in recent years, citing discomfort with the partisan reactions within the chamber. Some former justices and current judges continue to skip the event, while others maintain attendance as a matter of tradition.
