Two Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. to call upon Congress to help combat violence and threats against federal judges.
Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, and Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson, ranking member of the subcommittee on courts, intellectual property, artificial intelligence and the internet, sent a letter to Chief Justice G. Roberts Jr. to share their concerns over the threats against federal judges.
The letter, sent Monday, inquired whether federal courts are in need of more funding or congressional support to protect the court system.
“We write to you about the alarming rise in threats of violence being made against federal judges, with many of these threats not being idle ones at all. The whole climate of anti-judicial violence and intimidation is intolerable within our constitutional order,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Each and every one of these threats trouble us as not just Members of Congress who share the same kinds of threats in this hostile environment, but as Americans deeply invested in the ability of the judiciary to do its essential work without violent interference and intimidation. These threats of physical retribution against judicial officers for doing their job threaten the viability of the rule of law itself,” they wrote.
In Chief Justice Roberts’ 2024 year-end report on the federal judiciary, he wrote that violence, intimidation, disinformation and threats to defy lawfully entered judgments are four areas that “threaten the independence of judges on which the rule of law depends.”
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“There is of course no place for violence directed at judges for doing their job. Yet, in recent years, there has been a significant uptick in identified threats at all levels of the judiciary,” he wrote, citing the U.S. Marshals Service statistics that said hostile threats directed at judges has more than tripled over the past decade.
The Trump administration has criticized judges who have gone against the president’s agenda.
Judge James Boasberg, who ruled that the Trump administration showed “willful disregard” for his order last month to stop deportation flights to El Salvador, found “probable cause” to hold administration officials in criminal contempt. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that the administration had to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant who was deported to El Salvador by way of “administrative error.”
Both judges have endured personal attacks by members of the administration and calls for their impeachments.
In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump questioned as “statistically impossible” the odds of Judge Boasberg being assigned four cases and called the situation “disgraceful.”
“Boasberg, who is the Chief Judge of the D.C. District Court, seems to be grabbing the ’Trump Cases’ all to himself, even though it is not supposed to happen that way. Is there such a thing as the ’wheel,’ where the Judges are chosen fairly, and at random? The good news is that it probably doesn’t matter because it is virtually impossible for me to get an honest ruling in D.C.,” Mr. Trump wrote. He bashed the “rigged system” of the country’s courts.
The impeachment threats against judges caused Chief Justice Roberts to issue a rare statement saying, “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”
The lawmakers, in their letter, said Chief Justice Roberts should seek more security aid for the judiciary.
“We know our constitutional democracy relies strongly on the ability of Justices and judges to carry out your duties without fear of retaliation or harm. We are your partners in this endeavor, and we urge you to call upon us to help,” the lawmakers wrote.
