Traveling across the country this month, Supreme Court justices have begun openly acknowledging their frayed personal relationships while continuing to insist the court remains a nonpartisan institution.

In Pennsylvania earlier this month, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. told an audience that it is “misguided” to view the justices as political actors. “We just don’t like each other very much,” he said. “That has nothing to do with politics.”

In Florida last week, Justice Clarence Thomas, who has served since 1991, spoke warmly of his old colleagues before turning to the current bench. “There is nothing negative about my relations with the newer justices,” Thomas said. “We simply have nothing in common and avoid the lunchroom together. The court is different now.”

In Washington on Monday night, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told the American Law Institute that the court has undermined itself through rapid, unexplained emergency orders. “We do this because we can,” she said. “It looks political because it is. Public confidence is all we have left, and we are burning through it like it’s our currency.”

The remarks come as the justices prepare to release final rulings in several high-stakes cases before the term ends. The court has faced withering criticism from both parties. President Trump continues to complain on social media about the decision invalidating his sweeping tariff policy.

Legal observers described the tour as “a new phase in institutional branding.”

In a related development, sources confirmed the justices have scheduled a mandatory team-building exercise involving trust falls and a shared charcuterie board.