BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — In a rare public appearance, Chief Justice John Roberts returned to his hometown roots Monday evening to help mark the 125th anniversary of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
The event, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo, drew a crowd of over 600 guests, including judges and attorneys from across the Western New York region.
Justice Roberts, a Buffalo native who spent his early childhood in nearby Hamburg, was welcomed to the stage alongside longtime friend and fellow Harvard Law School alumnus, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo.
The two legal leaders, who have known each other for more than four decades, shared stories, laughs, and insights into the legal system during a candid conversation.
Chief Justice John Roberts now on stage for a fireside chat. @WKBW https://t.co/DtNXe4MfcG pic.twitter.com/SjphbsDj74
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) May 7, 2025
"What do I remember about growing up in Buffalo?” Judge Vilardo asked. “It's cold!" Roberts joked, prompting laughter from the audience. He added more sentimentally, “I went back and visited my boyhood home earlier today. It was a lot smaller than I remember. It was near the fairgrounds.”
But Roberts admitted that as a child, he had no grand vision of donning judicial robes.
“Did you let yourself dream about being on the Supreme Court then?” Judge Vilardo questioned. “No, no. I didn't dream about being a judge. I didn't dream about being a lawyer. Before that, I was going to go to graduate school and study history and true story – I was taking a cab back to the airport to the campus and trying to ask me what I did. I told him I was a history major at Harvard, and he said, 'I was a history major at Harvard’”, Roberts declared, with laughter from the audience.
Justice Roberts once clerked for William Rehnquist before Rehnquist served as chief justice.
“The courthouse here in Buffalo is named for Robert Jackson, and you clerked for Justice Rehnquist,” Vilardo remarked. “Right”, Roberts replied. Rehnquist clerked for Justice Jackson, so you're sort of his grandson,” Vilardo said. “Sort of yeah,” laughed Roberts.
The event also delved into more weighty matters, particularly around judicial independence, a subject of growing national attention amid heated political discourse.
When asked whether judicial independence is essential, Roberts was unequivocal: “It’s central,” he said. “Its job is to obviously decide cases, but in the course of that, check the excesses of Congress or the Executive, and that does require a degree of independence.”
Justice Roberts also addressed recent calls for the impeachment of judges over politically controversial rulings, many tied to decisions affecting former President Donald Trump’s administration. “Impeachment is not how you register disagreement with decisions,” Roberts stated firmly, reinforcing his earlier public rebuke of political interference in the judiciary.
Justice Roberts was also asked about the criticism he receives on Supreme Court decisions.
“A lot of people talk as if we are overruling a lot more. It's the lowest it's been since the 50s,” Roberts responded.
The justice also explained that many of the cases reviewed by the Supreme Court are “not that glamorous.”
“They're not that interesting, because there are a lot of areas of federal law, patent law, copyright law, tax law, all sorts of things and when those disagreements come up, we're the only ones who can fix it, so a lot of our docket is pretty mundane,” explained Roberts.
Still, the night had its lighter moments. Judge Vilardo playfully asked whether Roberts could assist with the Buffalo Bills’ playoff fortunes. “There’s a lot of calls that go against us... are you going to be around to handle some emergency appeals this season?” he quipped.
Roberts chuckled, admitting, “You know I left when I was ten... and we moved to Indiana. Chicago was the closest place... I’m a Bears fan.”
Justice Roberts did not take any questions from the media during his visit.
The evening concluded with a standing ovation for the Chief Justice.
