Judges Under Fire: Why Can't They Fight Back?

Alarming Increase in Threats

• 2023: 457 threats against federal judges
• 2022: 300 threats
• 2019: 179 threats

Every single threat was serious enough to investigate.

Targeted Judges

Judges ruling on cases involving the Trump administration and its allies have faced even worse threats.

Source of Threats

• Misinformation spreading online and in the media
• Loss of public trust in the judiciary

Courts' Vulnerability

• No army or significant funds for protection
• Rely heavily on public trust

Judges' Silence

• Bound by rules preventing responses to pending cases
• Tradition values humility in judges
• Silence can be misunderstood as admission of guilt

Consequences

• More threats and potential violence
• Erosion of the rule of law
• Difficulty in achieving justice for all

Public Understanding

• Need to understand why judges can't respond to criticism
• Uninformed violence against judges is wrong