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Fact Check: Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers That Includes James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta and Ketanji Brown Jackson

Fact Check: Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers That Includes James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta and Ketanji Brown Jackson

Published March 23, 2025
ByFactChecker 1.1 avatarFactChecker 1.1
✗
VERDICT
False

# Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers That Includes James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta and Ketanji Brown Jac...

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Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers That Includes James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta and Ketanji Brown Jackson

Introduction

Recent claims circulating on social media allege that Chief Justice John Roberts is part of an "elitist club" of judges and lawyers, which purportedly includes judges such as James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. These assertions suggest that this group operates in secrecy and has a coordinated agenda against former President Donald Trump. The claims have sparked significant discussion and controversy, particularly among political commentators and social media users.

What We Know

  1. Membership in the American Inns of Court: The group referred to in these claims is the American Inns of Court, a national organization that promotes excellence in legal advocacy and ethics through mentorship and education. Membership is typically open to judges, lawyers, and law students, and it is not inherently secretive or elitist in nature. The organization aims to foster professional development and collegiality among its members 14.

  2. Judicial Backgrounds: The judges mentioned—James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta, and Ketanji Brown Jackson—are all prominent figures within the U.S. judiciary. For instance, Ketanji Brown Jackson is currently an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, while Boasberg and Howell serve as judges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia 18.

  3. Context of Claims: The claims emerged following Chief Justice Roberts' public defense of the judiciary against calls for impeachment from the Trump administration, which some commentators interpreted as a sign of judicial independence 13. The allegations of a "secret club" appear to be a reaction to this defense, suggesting a conspiracy among judges to undermine Trump 23.

Analysis

The sources reporting on this claim vary significantly in credibility and bias:

  • Mainstream Media: The Associated Press (AP) and other reputable outlets like MEAWW News have published fact-checks that clarify the nature of the American Inns of Court and debunk the notion of a secretive agenda among its members 13. These sources are generally considered reliable due to their adherence to journalistic standards and fact-checking protocols.

  • Partisan Sources: In contrast, outlets like The Gateway Pundit and other similar platforms have presented the claims without substantial evidence, often framing the judges in a derogatory manner as "radical" or "anti-Trump" 26. Such language indicates a clear bias and suggests that these sources may have an agenda to discredit certain judicial figures based on political affiliations.

  • Anonymous Claims: Some of the claims originate from social media posts and anonymous sources, which lack verifiable evidence and should be treated with skepticism. For instance, assertions made by users on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) often lack context and can be exaggerated or misinterpreted 3.

Methodological Concerns

The methodology behind the claims often involves selective quoting and a lack of context regarding the American Inns of Court's activities. The insinuation that membership equates to a conspiratorial agenda against Trump is not substantiated by any credible evidence. Additionally, the framing of the judges as "elitist" or "radical" is subjective and reflects the biases of the sources rather than objective analysis.

What Additional Information Would Be Helpful

To further evaluate the validity of these claims, additional information would be beneficial, including:

  • Direct statements or evidence from the American Inns of Court regarding their membership policies and activities.
  • Detailed accounts of any meetings or communications among the judges in question that could substantiate claims of a coordinated agenda.
  • Independent analyses from legal experts on the implications of such memberships on judicial impartiality.

Conclusion

Verdict: False

The claims that Chief Justice John Roberts is part of an "elitist club" of judges and lawyers with a secretive agenda against former President Donald Trump are unfounded. Key evidence includes the nature of the American Inns of Court, which is a transparent organization focused on legal advocacy and ethics, rather than a clandestine group. Furthermore, the judges mentioned are established figures within the judiciary, and the allegations appear to stem from a misinterpretation of their professional affiliations and activities.

It is important to note that while the claims have generated significant attention, they lack credible substantiation. The sources promoting these assertions often exhibit bias and fail to provide verifiable evidence. As such, readers should approach such claims with skepticism and consider the broader context in which they arise.

Limitations in the available evidence include the reliance on partisan sources and social media claims, which often lack rigorous fact-checking. Therefore, while the conclusion is based on the current understanding of the situation, ongoing scrutiny and critical evaluation of information are essential for a well-rounded perspective. Readers are encouraged to independently assess the validity of claims and seek out reliable sources for information.

Sources

  1. AP News. "FACT FOCUS: Posts falsely claim federal judiciary members are in secret club, undermining Trump." AP News
  2. The Gateway Pundit. "REVEALED: Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers That Includes James Boasberg, Beryl Howell, Amit Mehta and Ketanji Brown Jackson." Gateway Pundit
  3. MEAWW News. "Fact Check: Are John Roberts and James Boasberg in 'secretive, invite-only club' working against Trump?" MEAWW News
  4. Townhall. "Update: Social Media Falsely Claims Chief Justice John Roberts Is In Secret Club of Judges." Townhall
  5. Three Percent Nation. "Chief Justice John Roberts Linked to Elite Judges and Lawyers Club with Boasberg, Howell, Mehta, and Ketanji Brown Jackson." Three Percent Nation
  6. Free Republic. "REVEALED: Chief Justice John Roberts Caught in Elitist Club of Judges and Lawyers." Free Republic
  7. Sott.net. "Chief Justice John Roberts caught in invite-only club of judges and lawyers called America Inns of Court." Sott.net
  8. Headline USA. "Chief Justice Roberts Exposed as Member of Elitist Club Composed of Anti-Trump." Headline USA
  9. AP News. "FACT FOCUS: Posts falsely claim federal judiciary members are." AP News
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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

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And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. 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We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. 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