CBS Chief Legal Analyst Slams Left’s ‘Corrupt Supreme Court’ Narrative As ‘Patently False’

CBS Chief Legal Analyst Jan Crawford sharply decimated claims from the Left that the conservative-leaning Supreme Court is corrupt, describing such narratives as “patently false” and “dangerous.”

In November, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called the Court dishonorable, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “We’re committed to driving down the high cost of living, to fixing our broken health care system and, at the same period of time, cleaning up the corruption that exists in Washington, D.C., in the Congress, at the Supreme Court and, of course, with the Trump administration, the most corrupt administration in American history.”

“I just want to be precise,” Blitzer cautioned. “You say the Supreme Court has been corrupt? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, what I’m saying is that the outrageous behavior by individual justices like Clarence Thomas and Justice Alito and the failure to have an ethical code of conduct is corrupt. These are the only people in the country who can operate above the law,” Jeffries answered.

“There is a narrative that the Supreme Court is corrupt,” Crawford said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “We saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. And now we see it, that they’re ‘in the tank for Trump.’ Not only is that narrative overreported, it is patently false, and it is dangerous for the institution and the public’s faith and confidence in the rule of law.”

“This is a conservative Supreme Court,” she stated. “It has been a conservative Supreme Court for 20 years. People can disagree and do disagree with their opinions, but it’s profoundly wrong to call it – or say corruption where there, in fact, is none.”

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“What’s underreported is any understanding of what this court’s been doing for the past 20 years,” she explained. “Its views of its role, vis-à-vis the other branches. How it sees the law. How it’s trying, in its focus, to restore some kind of accountability and our constitutional structure. Again, this is a court that is functional. It is consistent. They are nine justices. They don’t necessarily see the Constitution the same way by any means or how to interpret federal law. There’s a struggle over the proper way to interpret the Constitution. But that is as it should be. And I think as we approach our 250th anniversary of this country, it’s important to think about the court and their rule of law as the justices are doing, especially if we hope to keep democracy intact.”

“That’s a big statement, Jan, if we hope to keep democracy intact,” host Margaret Brennan responded. “My goodness.”

Undaunted, Crawford replied, “If we lost — if the public loses confidence in the rule of law, I don’t know what that means for democracy. And that’s why I think some of the rhetoric about corruption is so, so profoundly irresponsible.”

“And it causes threats,” CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane pointed out.

“Oh, yes. Which, again, I mean the justices are under tremendous (pressure), and federal judges as well,” Crawford concluded.

On @FaceTheNation @JanCBS Crawford scolded the press corps in naming her “under-reported” story of the year: “There is a narrative the Supreme Court is corrupt. We saw that emerge in the wake of the Dobbs decision…and now we see it that they’re in the tank for Trump. Not only… pic.twitter.com/2rPcXbEnvQ

— Brent Baker ???????????????? ???????? (@BrentHBaker) December 28, 2025