By Jeffrey Freedman
Article appeared in The Buffalo News on June 11, 2025
In the past, unless you were in the military or a first responder, it was unlikely you would put yourself or your family at risk when you chose your profession. Today, federal and state judges face threats against their lives and family members’ lives every day. In July 2020, Daniel Anderl, son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, was killed protecting his parents from a disgruntled lawyer posing as a delivery person. Anderl was 20 years old.
Since Jan. 1, the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects judges and courthouses, has investigated 373 threats to judges. More than 100 anonymous, unsolicited pizza deliveries have been made to judges’ homes, indicating that individuals who are unhappy with rulings know where judges live.
Judges’ personal and family lives and mental health have been affected by threats. In 2022, an armed man was arrested at Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s home – he reportedly planned to assassinate the justice over the repeal of abortion rights. While presiding over President Trump’s 2024 civil fraud case, State Judge Arthur Engoron received threats from Tyler Vogel, stating he would “go after” the judge if Trump were jailed.
Fifty individuals were charged with making online threats between 2019 and 2024, said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Safety concerns started when Roe v. Wade was overturned, and dangers spiraled with lawsuits against Trump, and executive orders that challenge the Constitution.
Trump and his supporters’ social media posts and verbal attacks fuel the escalation of threats. Truth Social posts such as “Judges are absolutely out of control, they’re hurting our Country …” seem to justify threatening activity.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., of the House Judiciary Committee, said “… judicial independence is in danger if judges aren’t safe.”
These threats speak to the decline of respect for our Constitution, and for those who have dedicated their lives to uphold the law. We must tone down the rhetoric attacking judges and return to an acceptable level of public discourse.
As retired Pennsylvania federal chief judge John Jones said, “Regardless of our disagreement with individual judges’ decisions, it’s unconscionable and intolerable to make any kinds of threats against judges.”