Federal Judges Want More Security After Rise in Personal Threats

Federal judges in Washington, D.C. are joining pleas to Congress for more personal protection amid a rise in harassment and threats.

They put part of the blame on social media for spreading criticism of their decisions. Contributing factors appear to be recent rulings on access to President Donald Trump’s financial records and details of the Mueller investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election.

The U.S. Marshals Service recently reported a sharp increase in threats against judges in the past three years.

In one case, the threat resulted in the murder of the 20-year-old son and critical injury to the husband of a federal judge in New Jersey. They were shot by a radical anti-feminist who had filed a lawsuit in the judge’s court.

Last month, a New York man was arrested after leaving a threatening voicemail on the phone of a federal judge in Washington. It appeared to be related to a judge’s refusal to dismiss charges against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn.

“We are professionals,” the message said. “We are trained military people. We will be on rooftops. You will not be safe. Back out of this bullshit before it’s too late, or we’ll start cutting down your staff.”

The Washington-based Judicial Conference of the United States sent a letter to congressional leaders this month suggesting improvements to security for judges.

The Judicial Conference recommends legislation to protect judges’ personally identifiable information, funding for high-tech security systems on judges’ homes and better cameras at courthouses.

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