Fact Check: Chief Justice Roberts didn't fine US Rep. Crockett $200K
Claim:
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts fined U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Tex., $200,000.
Rating:
A rumor that circulated online in late April 2025 claimed U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts fined U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Tex., $200,000.
The claim primarily spread on at least dozens of YouTube channels. For example, on April 27, a user managing the Insider Intel YouTube channel uploaded a video (archived) titled, "Judge John Roberts Fines Jasmine Crockett $200K, Her Reply Leaves Him In Tears." The clip had amassed more than 110,000 views as of this writing. A similar video (archived) on the Ripple of Good channel also attained more than 75,000 views. Users on Bluesky, Facebook, TikTok and X likewise shared the story.
However, the rumor that Roberts fined Crockett was false. News media outlets worldwide would have reported it if any such event had taken place. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no such reports.
Representatives for both Crockett and the Supreme Court have yet to respond to emails asking if they wish to share a statement about the false rumor.
The claim originated with YouTube creators who publish videos featuring scripting and voice narration, and in some cases visuals, generated with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Some of those channels' managers had previously uploaded videos alleging other fabricated claims about Roberts and Crockett.
The description under the Insider Intel YouTube channel's video displayed a disclaimer reading, "The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons, or entities." The description also showed an "altered or synthetic content" label, specifying, "Sound or visuals were significantly edited or digitally generated." The Ripple of Good channel's video, however, did not feature any similar disclaimers or labels.
The videos promoting the rumor tell a fabricated story of Roberts fining Crockett during proceedings occurring inside the U.S. Supreme Court — a location where, in reality, U.S. House representatives do not participate. According to the Insider Intel YouTube channel's clip, Roberts fined Crockett $200,000 for contempt, citing a "reckless" legal argument tied to an unspecified "fictional ethics dispute." Crockett supposedly responded by defending her actions, moving Roberts to tears. The story also says onlookers in the courtroom recorded videos of the exchange on their phones that users later helped go viral on Instagram, TikTok and X — yet another indicator of the tale's fictional roots, seeing as, in reality, the Supreme Court prohibits "electronic devices of any kind."
For further reading, a previous fact-check article examined a rumor claiming White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Crockett to "go back to Africa."
"Judge John Roberts Fines Jasmine Crockett $200K, Her Reply Leaves Him In Tears." YouTube, Insider Intel, 27 Apr. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxvv4nZHDLQ.
Liles, Jordan. "Karoline Leavitt Didn't Say 'Go Back to Africa' to US Rep. Jasmine Crockett." Snopes, 29 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/go-back-to-africa-leavitt-crockett/.
"Prohibited Items." U.S. Supreme Court, https://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/prohibited-items.aspx.
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