Serious threats against federal judges in the United States have more than doubled in the past three years, as part of an escalation in politically-driven violence, according to U.S. Marshals Service data reviewed by Reuters.
The agency, which is responsible for protecting 2,700 federal judges and more than 30,000 federal prosecutors and other court employees, has seen a sharp increase in threats related to the country’s bitter political divisions. Security Bureau Chief Ronald Davis told Reuters in a recent interview.
Previously unreported data shows that serious threats against federal judges (those that would trigger an investigation by a federal judge) increased in fiscal year 2023, which ended Sept. 30, up from 224 in fiscal year 2021. The number of cases increased to 457. Statistics show that serious threats against federal prosecutors also more than doubled, from 68 in 2021 to 155 in 2023.
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This surge spans a period that began around the time of the 2020 presidential election. At the time, federal courts heard a series of highly politicized cases, including former President Donald Trump and his unsuccessful lawsuit brought to overturn his defeat. During the same period, election officials witnessed a series of threats from Trump supporters, as previously documented by Reuters.
Federal judges in the United States have received twice as many threats in recent years, and politics is to blame. (Reuters/Al Drago)
Judges and prosecutors involved in criminal and civil prosecutions of President Trump have reported hundreds of threatening messages related to these cases, according to court records and public statements from targeted officials. Court officials have also reported threats from activists enraged by the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the legal right to abortion.
Davis said officials are “increasingly concerned” about the growing threat, fueled by partisan divisions and social media abuse.
Davis is scheduled to testify Wednesday at a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee oversight hearing.
The Sheriff’s Office investigates thousands of potential threats against court personnel each year and launches what it calls “protective investigations” into those considered the most serious. The agency did not provide details of the threat.
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Asked to reveal how many people have been charged or convicted of threatening judges, the Justice Department said it does not track the data.
The data shows there were 457 serious threats against judges in 2023, a dramatic increase from 2019, when sheriffs investigated 179 such threats.
Davis said that in the past, judges faced threats primarily from people who were angry about their decisions in their cases. Now, he said, he’s getting more calls from people outraged by politics.
“The current threat environment that I’m concerned about is that people disagree with the judicial process and the government, and that turns into verbal attacks,” Davis said in an interview. “And it begins a process that threatens the judiciary and threatens our democracy.”
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During his presidency and in the years since, President Trump has been active in criticizing judges who rule against his interests in highly personal terms, and has shown that his decisions are politically motivated. It often suggests something.
President Trump’s press secretary did not respond to a request for comment.
In remarks at the Justice Department on January 5, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland expressed alarm at a “deeply alarming spike” in threats against public officials, saying prosecutors are targeting federal judges, presidential candidates, members of Congress, and members of Congress. He said that he had been indicted in connection with the incident. Military and election workers.
The attorney general warned that the incident threatened “the fabric of our democracy.”
The threats came amid the most sustained political violence in the United States since the 1970s, according to a Reuters investigation last year. The report documents at least 232 acts of politically motivated violence since Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The attacks included everything from riots and brawls at political demonstrations to politically motivated assaults and killings.
