On New Year’s Eve, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Roberts released his his annual report on the state of the federal judiciary for 2022.
In the report, which is released every year as the Supreme Court’s answer to the State of the Union, the chief justice focused heavily on the importance of judicial security.
“The law requires every judge to swear an oath to perform his or her work without fear or favor, but we must support judges by ensuring their safety,” he wrote. “A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear.”
Some observers had hoped that the chief justice would use his year-end report for an update on the investigation announced in May into the leak of a draft opinion eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. Others had wished that he would announce revisions to judicial ethics rules.
The report shed no light on the investigation or on calls for more rigorous ethics rules for the justices.
The nine-page annual report came just two weeks after Congress approved legislation that aims to bolster security for Supreme Court justices and federal judges by allowing them to shield their personal information from being available online. It also comes as public opinion of the court has reached an all-time low.
The chief justice closed by thanking the law-enforcement officials who protect the courts, as well as the judges and staff of the judicial branch for “their outstanding service.”
The report also included statistics on the court’s caseload. Filings at the court saw a decline as well as the number of cases heard by the court. The court heard 70 cases in the 2021 term compared to 72 in 2020. However, the court handed down slightly more opinions during the 2021 term than in 2020.
For reports from previous years since 2000, visit the Supreme Court reports archive. Previous coverages available here, here, and here.