A CBS News investigation documents a sharp rise in threats targeting U.S. public officials—especially judges—amid a political climate where online harassment is increasingly common and sometimes escalates into real-world violence. The story begins with a Minnesota man, Jeffrey Petersen, accused of posting menacing comments under pseudonyms tied to infamous mass shootings and directing threats at a Supreme Court justice, multiple federal judges, and members of Congress. His defense argues the posts were protected speech, underscoring how hard it can be to draw a legal line between vile rhetoric and prosecutable threats.
Using court records from all 94 federal judicial districts, CBS News reports 126 federal prosecutions in 2025 for threats against federal and top state officials—more than triple the volume seen a decade ago. The targets span all branches of government, including presidents, lawmakers, and law enforcement. The piece highlights how threats often take the form of doxxing and “swatting” (fake emergency calls meant to trigger armed police responses at someone’s home), and how persistent intimidation can shape officials’ behavior and willingness to serve.
The article also connects the broader trend to concrete incidents: increased protective investigations for federal judges, attacks and attempted attacks on public figures, and repeated examples of threats turning into action. Experts interviewed point to social media, pandemic-era radicalization, and the normalization of dehumanizing political rhetoric as accelerants—and warn that the cumulative effect is a more dangerous environment for democratic governance.