US judges who have ruled against the Trump administration are facing intensified verbal abuse and threats, legal experts and former judges warn. The attacks, led by President Donald Trump and his allies, are creating a hostile climate that endangers judicial safety, according to experts.
More than 200 lawsuits have challenged executive orders on immigration, law firm penalties, agency spending, and workforce cuts. Over 100 executive orders have been temporarily halted by rulings from judges appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, including some by Trump.
Former federal judge John Jones said the constant mischaracterization of rulings as political, along with ad hominem attacks, skews public perception and foments a climate where judges' safety is at high risk. The risks were underscored when Senator Richard Durbin requested an investigation into anonymous pizza deliveries to at least a dozen judges, some made in the name of Judge Esther Salas's son, who was fatally shot in 2020 by a lawyer posing as a delivery person.
Over 150 former federal and state judges signed a letter denouncing the administration's attacks and the arrest of a Milwaukee judge charged with obstructing federal agents. Former judge Nancy Gertner said the arrest was intended to intimidate other judges, with Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening to prosecute judges who balk at the legal agenda.
Gertner noted that judges are worried about their safety, inflamed by incendiary comments from the president and members of Congress. Some Trump appointees have also incurred his wrath, including DC federal judge James Boasberg, whom Trump urged to be impeached after a deportation ruling.
