According to Politico, federal judges report a sharp rise in threats and harassment since Trump's second term started. High-stakes political cases, coordinated online abuse, and public attacks from Trump and his allies are fueling the surge. Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed in 2020 by a man targeting her, told Politico the danger now feels worse than it did then.
Courts don't need universal approval. They need enough physical security and civic legitimacy for judges to rule without treating personal risk as part of the job. When judges start calculating safety costs into major decisions—especially constitutional ones—the damage spreads to everyone who depends on courts to referee elections, executive power, and basic rights.
Expect the judiciary to demand more protection and tighter rules around publishing judges' personal information. Chief judges will issue louder warnings about political rhetoric aimed at the bench. Whether elected officials cool that rhetoric or keep weaponizing judges as campaign props will be the real test.
This is a stress test for whether the country still accepts an independent judiciary when it hates the outcome. Criticizing rulings is normal. Turning judges into targets is a direct attack on the one branch that lacks an army, a donor base, or a way to answer back on cable news. Esther Salas already paid that price in 2020. The question now is whether we're willing to pay it again.
Filed to the Politics desk · Sep 2