SACRAMENTO—California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye said the state Supreme Court chambers were flooded with calls from “profane and very angry people” after she asked federal officials in March to stop arresting undocumented immigrants in state courthouses.

“And I received a lot of letters that said, ‘This is not your job … You shouldn’t be involved in politics. You’re just a judge who should interpret the law.’” Tani Cantil-Sakauye said Thursday in remarks at the Sacramento Press Club.