Federal judges raise alarm about security threats and impeachment calls
Source: NBC News
March 11, 2025, 2:45 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — Two senior federal judges on Tuesday raised the alarm about the increase in violent threats against members of the judiciary and expressed concerns about calls to impeach judges over the rulings they make. Judge Richard Sullivan and Judge Jeffrey Sutton, both Republican-appointed appeals court judges, spoke out on a call with reporters after the U.S. Judicial Conference, the policymaking body of the judiciary, discussed security issues at its biannual meeting.
Their comments come at a time when allies of President Donald Trump, including billionaire Elon Musk, have loudly and bitterly complained about court rulings that have stymied his agenda. "It's a shame to see people attacking judges simply for doing their level best to do their job," Sutton, who serves on the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, told reporters. He chairs the Judicial Conference's executive committee.
"Criticism is no surprise, it's part of the job, but I do think when it gets to the level of a threat, it really is about attacking judicial independence, and that's just not good for the system or the country," he added. Sullivan, a judge on the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, mentioned violent incidents involving judges, including New Jersey-based U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was murdered at her home by an assailant who was targeting her.
"Everybody should be taking this seriously, because our system of government is premised on three independent branches and a judiciary that can function independently. That's what makes it work," Sullivan said. Sullivan, who chairs a Judicial Conference committee on security, also stressed the need for the U.S. Marshals Service, which provides security for federal judges, to be fully funded and staffed amid broad cuts to the federal workforce under Trump.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/federal-judges-raise-alarm-security-threats-impeachment-calls-rcna195872
They better wake up. This is no longer "crying wolf". The wolf is here.
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