Reuters interviews with 11 federal judges in multiple districts revealed mounting alarm over their physical security and, in some cases, a rise in violent threats in recent weeks. Most spoke on condition of anonymity and said they did not want to further inflame the situation or make comments that could be interpreted as conflicting with their duties of impartiality. The Marshals Service declined to comment on security matters.
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Another person familiar with the judicial security environment said several federal judges in the Washington DC area had received pizzas sent anonymously to their homes, which is being interpreted by law enforcement as a form of intimidation meant to convey that a target’s address is known.
“I’ve never seen judges as uneasy as they are now,” said John Jones III, a former US district judge in Pennsylvania appointed by George W Bush in 2002.
Jones, who also served on the security committee of the federal judiciary’s policymaking arm, said judges are now grappling with being identified by name in viral social media posts criticizing their integrity and demanding their impeachment. He said he has spoken to about a dozen current judges who expressed safety concerns for themselves and their families.
“The consequences are, quite starkly, that we’re going to get a judge killed if we’re not careful,” said Jones.
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Several judges described threatening phone calls promising personal harm.
The American Bar Association issued a statement on Monday denouncing the ongoing wave of verbal assaults and threats against judges. The Federal Judges Association said in a statement to its 1,100 members late on Tuesday that “continued violence, intimidation and defiance directed at judges simply because they are fulfilling their sworn judicial duties” risked “the collapse of the rule of law”.