As judges face attacks from President Donald Trump, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. says government “doesn’t work if the judiciary is not independent.”

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday defended judicial independence as necessary to “check the excesses of the Congress or the executive," amid attacks on federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump’s agenda.

In a rare public appearance at a time when the courts have come under attack, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reiterated his support for judicial independence and his rejection of calls to impeach judges.