1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

Chief Justice John Roberts has abused his office by granting Donald Trump an unconstitutional “pocket rescission,” giving him unilateral power to withhold and redirect funds already appropriated by Congress. This is nothing less than a resurrection of the line-item veto—a power the Supreme Court itself struck down in Clinton v. City of New York (1998) as a violation of the separation of powers. Congress controls the purse. The President has no authority to cancel or rewrite duly enacted appropriations. Yet Roberts’ ruling effectively hands Trump a financial weapon to fund his campaign and shield his criminal defense, while depriving Congress of its constitutional role. This is not judicial interpretation—it is judicial legislation, and it empowers an authoritarian agenda. Justice Sotomayor warned in dissent that this maneuver is a grave distortion of the law, and she is right. By blessing Trump’s use of a “pocket rescission,” Roberts has turned the Court into an accomplice to executive overreach and high crimes. When a Chief Justice abandons his oath and aids corruption, the remedy is impeachment. To protect the Constitution, the balance of powers, and the survival of democracy itself, Congress must act now to impeach John Roberts.