Fact Check: Did Chief Justice receive payment from Obama days before ruling against Trump?

WASHINGTON, DC: An allegation has been circulating on social media platforms claiming that Chief Justice John Roberts took payment from an LLC owned by former President Barack Obama before ruling against President Donald Trump. The claim has stirred debate, with many believing it while others dismissed it, prompting a fact-check into the rumor.

Claim: Judge took payment from Barack Obama 

The rumor surfaced after an X post claimed that the newly released Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) documents revealed that the Chief Justice received payments from an Obama-owned LLC just days before each of his rulings against the Trump administration.

The post claims that there is a deliberate pattern in which Roberts is allowed to rule independently on low-priority cases but is financially influenced to rule against Trump on key issues such as birthright citizenship. 

The post further alleges that Roberts took more than $5 million this term alone, concluding that he is corrupt, politically compromised, and secretly working for the so-called ‘Deep State’ rather than acting as an impartial judge.

The comments under the post appear to slam the Chief Justice, indicating many believe the claim is true, while others dismissed it as fake.

Fact Check: No such FOIA document exists 

However, there is no credible evidence that suggests Justice John Roberts received money from the former president, influencing the judgment against Trump. Hence, the claim is rated as false.

There are no such publicly available FOIA documents that prove the allegation, which, if true, would have been widely covered by prominent news media outlets, making headlines. 

A search on Google and other search engines for the claim also yielded no relevant results that support the claim.

Additionally, a look at the X account handle that posted the claim revealed that it has posted several such exaggerated claims, likely intended as a parody.

Donald Trump expressed frustration with Supreme Court rulings

The claim surfaced a week after Trump expressed his disappointment over the Supreme Court’s earlier decisions, particularly its verdict last month, which upheld birthright citizenship, dismissing Trump’s executive order to end citizenship for children born to non-American parents.

In a post on Truth Social on July 29, Trump wrote, “Does anybody have any idea how much Money and Prestige the United States Supreme Court has cost our Nation with their negative Rulings on Birthright Citizenship and TARIFFS? The answer, TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS.”