United States Sanctions for Russian and Iranian Election Interference; Chief Justice Cites Threats to Judicial Independence

The United States imposed economic sanctions last week on Russian and Iranian government entities for election interference during the 2024 General Election. The U.S. noted hostile foreign actors seek to sow divisions and undermine confidence in elections. The Russia supported Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy again, while the Islamic Republic of Iran opposed him. Russia’s efforts, which were far more extensive and effective, included the generation of fake news (the posing as reporters working for phony news outlets with stories that are fabrications). As I have posted, Russia successfully interfered on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 Republican Primary and General Election, for which the U.S. sanctioned Russian government entities and private individuals affiliated with the Kremlin, and indicted many Russians. The success of Russia has inspired other hostile state actors, like Iran, to copy their methods to promote their own image and damage that of critics. Russia continued its interference on behalf of Trump in 2020 and again in 2024, although not quite to the same degree as in 2016 because it had already successfully altered enough of the opinions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative Republican, as also cited the interference by “hostile foreign state actors” and “bots (robotic social media accounts that impersonate ordinary people) distort judicial decisions, using fake or exaggerated narrative to foment discord.” The Supreme Court appointee of Republican President George W. Bush also cited threats of violence and the calls by some on both the far left and the Trumpist far right to ignore court rulings as undermining judicial independence. Judicial independence, which is a fundamental principle of equal justice and the separation of powers, is undermined if the other Branches do not exercise their responsibility to enforce the Court’s decrees, as some have threatened to do. Roberts observed the Courts are frequently blamed for bias, which is an accusation amplified by foreign interference, instead of the recognition of reasonable differences of opinion, as demonstrated in the written opinions issued by judges, including those opinions issued in dissent. With the incoming Trump Administration threatened to persecute its critics, judicial independence is ever an essential principle and one that autocrats around the world always prioritize targeting for weakening.