Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee has introduced six Articles of Impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, an extraordinary move that accuses the nation’s highest-ranking judge of leading the Court, in Cohen’s words, “to the breaking point.” The resolution, filed on May 21, 2026, lays out a sweeping case alleging that Roberts has abandoned the impartiality his office demands.
The effort is, by almost any measure, a long shot. But it marks one of the rare moments in American history when a member of Congress has formally sought to remove a sitting Supreme Court justice from the bench.
What Cohen Is Alleging
Cohen’s resolution contains six separate articles. According to the congressman, Roberts allowed the Court to become a partisan weapon, placed the President above the law, and endorsed what Cohen describes as a corrupt campaign finance system. The remaining articles accuse Roberts of issuing arbitrary and unexplained rulings, breaching his statutory obligations as Chief Justice, and failing to meet basic ethical and recusal standards.
On the ethics charge, Cohen points specifically to allegations that Roberts failed to recuse himself from matters while his wife earned millions of dollars recruiting attorneys for law firms that had cases before the Court. Cohen frames this as a conflict of interest that undermined public confidence in the judiciary. These are the congressman’s allegations — they have not been proven, and Roberts has not been found to have violated any law.
The Redistricting Flashpoint
A significant portion of the resolution centers on the Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais, a 6-3 ruling that invalidated a Louisiana congressional map for relying too heavily on race in drawing district boundaries. The decision signaled a major shift in how the Court approaches Voting Rights Act protections.
Cohen argues that the timing and handling of the Callais decision triggered what he calls a nationwide “cascade of mid-decade partisan redistricting.” He cites his own state as a primary example, pointing to Tennessee’s subsequent dismantling of its only majority-Black congressional district in Memphis — the district Cohen himself represents.
A Steep Uphill Climb
The political reality is that Cohen’s resolution faces almost no path to success. Impeaching a Supreme Court justice requires a majority vote in the House to impeach, followed by a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict and remove. With Republicans controlling both chambers, the articles are widely expected to fail.
History underscores just how rare this is. Only one Supreme Court justice has ever been impeached by the House — Samuel Chase, in 1804. The Senate acquitted him, and no justice has been removed from the Court through impeachment in the more than two centuries since. Cohen, who has announced he is retiring, is using one of his final acts in Congress to make a statement rather than to secure a realistic conviction.
Reactions on Both Sides
Roberts has not publicly responded to the allegations. Supporters of the Chief Justice have characterized the resolution as a political stunt aimed at scoring points against a conservative-leaning Court, arguing that disagreement with rulings is not grounds for impeachment. Cohen, for his part, insists the move is about accountability for the most powerful court in the country and the integrity of its decisions.
What This Means for Americans
Whatever its odds, the resolution puts a national spotlight on a debate that affects every voter: how much trust Americans place in the Supreme Court, and whether its rulings on redistricting and campaign finance are seen as fair. The fight over majority-minority districts directly shapes who represents communities in Congress — which means the questions Cohen is raising touch the ballot every American casts.
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