Collection

Did Justice Roberts Call Impeachment Vote 'Immoral and Possibly Illegal'?

Robert's position as Chief Justice has made him a target for various claims and rumors.

by Jack Izzo, Dec. 20, 2019


John Roberts, an older, white man with short grey hair, wears a black robe.

Image courtesy of Chip Somodevilla, accessed via Getty Images


The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the nation, a position that gives its nine justices enormous power to influence the nation's future. 

Since 2005, it has been led by Chief Justice John Roberts. While Roberts' vote does not count for more than his colleagues', his position as chief justice gives him more power to decide what cases the court will hear and who will write the opinions. 

Roberts has recently been in the news after The New York Times revealed private memos from Supreme Court justices arguing over a 2016 ruling largely considered to have revolutionized how the court does business — the introduction of the so-called "shadow docket." 

Roberts' position also makes him a frequent target of the kinds of claims and rumors Snopes investigates. Here are eight such claims about the Chief Justice:


By Jack Izzo

Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.

An older white woman with shoulder length blonde hair wearing a purple dress and an older white man wearing a black tuxedo.

Investigating claim Chief Justice Roberts, wife took $20M from law firms he ruled on

May 1, 2026

The headline of a Substack post alleges John Roberts failed to report at least $22 million in co ...

Read More


Rumor has it photo shows John Roberts sitting next to Ghislaine Maxwell. Here's the truth

Dec. 15, 2025

A photo shows the convicted sex trafficker with French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, not the U ...

Read More


Quote about Trump attributed to Justice John Roberts doesn't check out

Aug. 28, 2025

There is nothing to suggest the Supreme Court's chief justice said the phrase publicly.

Read More


Denzel Washington and Chief Justice John Roberts didn't argue in US Supreme Court

May 6, 2025

An online rumor claimed the Oscar-winning actor taught the high court "a powerful lesson about p ...

Read More


Chief Justice Roberts didn't fine US Rep. Crockett $200K

May 2, 2025

YouTubers promoted a fabricated story about U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Te ...

Read More


Chief Justice Roberts targeted with rumor claiming federal judges signed petition to impeach him

April 11, 2025

The America's Last Line of Defense network of Facebook pages and websites featured the rumor as ...

Read More


Did Supreme Court Erupt in a Shouting Match Over Texas Voter Fraud Case?

Dec. 17, 2020

Fake news is fake news, no matter who repeats it.

Read More


Did Justice Roberts Call Impeachment Vote 'Immoral and Possibly Illegal'?

Dec. 20, 2019

A routine review of content labeled satire.

Read More



Source code