Senate Republicans rebuff Trump’s attacks on Supreme Court, Federal Reserve

Republican senators moved to distance themselves from President Trump’s recent public attacks on the Supreme Court after the justices turned down his proposal to have the U.S. Postal Service screen mail-in ballots to guard against noncitizen voting. The president criticized the court sharply following the ruling, but senators from his own party defended the tribunal’s decision and its conservative members.

The policy at issue would have required the Postal Service to inspect mail ballots to identify votes cast by noncitizens, a measure the Supreme Court declined to allow. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill noted the court sided against that plan, and several GOP senators said the justices acted appropriately in rejecting it.

Senators’ comments represent a notable public rebuke to the president’s rhetoric attacking the judiciary and signal support for the perceived independence of conservative justices targeted by Mr. Trump. The disagreement underscores friction within the Republican Party over how to respond when the president criticizes judicial decisions.

The dispute centers on both election administration and the norms governing presidential remarks about the courts. Republican senators’ refusal to echo the president’s attacks adds to an ongoing conversation about the balance between executive pressure and judicial independence following a contentious ruling on voting policy.