Obama criticized the court's Citizens United decision which said that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts cannot be limited.

"With all due deference to separation of powers, last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests – including foreign corporations – to spend without limit in our elections," Obama said.

"Well, I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, and worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’d urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps corrects some of these problems," he added.

While Democratic lawmakers cheered for the president's remarks, Justice Samuel Alito could be seen mouthing the words "not true."

Weeks later, Chief Justice John Roberts said the address had "degenerated to a political pep rally."

"The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering, while the court -- according to the requirements of protocol -- has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling," Roberts said to University of Alabama law students.

"That's his opinion," Breyer said Sunday. "He says what he thinks. I say what I think and what I think is what I said. I'll be there next year."