Supreme court justice says judges must be ‘fiercely independent’

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor told students at Georgetown University that judges should be “fiercely independent” in responding to growing challenges to the rule of law.

Speaking at a forum Friday, Sotomayor said judges need to “ensure that the state is respectful” of both judicial independence and the rights protected by the Constitution.

Sotomayor didn’t mention President Donald Trump or his criticism of judges who ruled against him in some of the more than 175 lawsuits challenging his executive orders.