CBS reporter calls it 'patently false' and 'dangerous' to claim Supreme Court is 'corrupt'

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CBS News correspondent claims Supreme Court corruption narrative is patently false

CBS Jan Crawford said on "Face the Nation" that public understanding of the judicial branchs role in government was the most underreported story in 2025.

CBS News' chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford criticized the mainstream media's coverage of the Supreme Court, calling it "dangerous" to claim the high court was "corrupt."

Crawford joined CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday to discuss what the panel considered the most underreported stories of the year. While some panelists cited the blanket use of pardons and cuts to the federal workforce as examples, Crawford instead pointed to a narrative she considered overreported: alleged political corruption in the Supreme Court.

"You know, there is a narrative that the Supreme Court is corrupt," Crawford said. "I mean, 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."

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CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford appeared on Sunday's "Face the Nation." (Screenshot/CBS)

She continued, "This is a conservative Supreme Court. 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."

Crawford argued that the most "underreported" story of the year was the lack of understanding of the judicial branch's role in government and its consistent function over the last 20 years.

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"They are nine justices. They don’t necessarily see the Constitution the same way by any means, or how to interpret federal law," Crawford said. "They’re in 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 the rule of law as the justices are doing, especially if we hope to keep democracy intact."

Jan Crawford warned in 2024 about a calculated effort to undermine the Supreme Court by the Democratic Party. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court for comment.

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In a similar segment on "Face the Nation" in 2024, Crawford had criticized Senate Democrats for launching what she described as a "calculated effort" to undermine the Supreme Court.

"It really started and took off in the wake of the Dobbs decision, the court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade," Crawford said. "The outrage was so extreme that you saw, I think, a quite calculated effort to undermine legitimacy of the Supreme Court by Democrats, Senate Democrats. For example, hearings, stories about scandals, some of which were pretty overblown, to say the least. So that has an impact on public opinion." 

Crawford argued that claiming the Supreme Court was "corrupt" is "dangerous." (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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She also criticized mainstream media for failing to report on then-President Joe Biden's "obvious cognitive decline," calling it the most underreported story of that year.