Threats Rise Against Judges Overseeing Trump Policy Cases, Fueling Safety Concerns
www.nytimes.com
Federal judges are worried that online threats against those who oversee high-profile cases challenging Trump administration policies may lead to real-world violence.

President Trump’s angry call on Tuesday for the impeachment of a federal judge who ruled against his administration on deportation flights has set off a string of near-instant social media taunts and threats, including images of judges being marched off in handcuffs.

The call came against an ominous backdrop. Nine days earlier, police officers in Charleston, S.C., had been dispatched to the home of one of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s sisters because of a threat that there was a pipe bomb in her mailbox. “The device’s detonation will be triggered as soon as the mailbox is next opened,” the emailed threat read.

The pipe bomb proved to be a hoax, but the threats and intimidation faced by judges and their families in recent weeks are real, judges say. At a moment when the judiciary is weighing pivotal decisions on the legality of Trump administration policies, the potential for violence against judges seems to be rising.

MBFC
Archive

  • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    2 days ago

    This was always the plan.

    Trump’s screed against Judge Boasburg (Sorry if I’m butchering his name) was a call to action. Whether it actually works or not is something we will see very soon, based on how Boasburg reacts to having his court orders defied for a third time. But even if it doesn’t have the desired impact on Boasburg, it sends a chilling message to the entire judiciary. Fall in line, or we will come for you and your family. Dismiss our case and get it off your docket, or we will escalate. It makes the next judge that has a Trump case come across their desk at the very least consider doing whatever they can to get the case out of their courtroom as soon as possible, and increases the chances s/he will rule in Trump’s favor even if only out of fear of retribution (whether it’s political, legislative, and/or violent retribution).

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    8·
    2 days ago

    This is exactly why he pardoned the J6 criminals. He was signaling that he condones political violence on his behalf. This is the desired outcome. He is a tyrant. And it was fucking obvious when he refused to condemn the Proud Boys five years ago.