University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Judges: Targets and Resistance

Administration fires 2 immigration judges who ruled against deporting Palestinian rights advocates

The Trump administration fired two immigration judges this past weekend who had earlier dismissed deportation cases against two pro-Palestinian student activists. Judge Roopal Patel had ruled there were no grounds to deport Tufts University graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was held in detention for 45 days, while Judge Nina Froes dismissed proceedings against Columbia University …

Under Trump, DOJ Makes Errors in Court, Testing Judges’ Patience

A Bloomberg Law report from April 10, 2026 highlights a troubling pattern of errors and inaccuracies by U.S. Justice Department lawyers in federal courts, raising concerns among judges about the DOJ’s credibility. In March alone, DOJ attorneys disclosed relying on incorrect information in an immigration case in Manhattan, made inaccurate statements in a Rhode Island …

Sitting Federal Judges Break Their Silence on Attacks Against the Judiciary at Speak Up for Justice Forum

On March 19, sitting federal judges convened an extraordinary public forum organized by the group Speak Up for Justice, during which they read aloud profane and violent threats they had personally received — including voicemails threatening to “put a bullet in your head” — as part of a coordinated effort to document and condemn the …

Chief Justice John Roberts warns personal attacks on judges have ‘got to stop’

In an unusually direct public intervention on March 17, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. declared that personal criticism of federal judges is “dangerous” and “has got to stop,” in remarks widely interpreted as directed at the Trump administration and its congressional allies. Roberts’ statement came as federal judges across the country faced a documented surge …

MEDEL Conference in Rome: European Judges and Prosecutors Testify to Global Attack on Rule of Law

On March 14, 2026, MEDEL (Magistrats Européens pour la Démocratie et les Libertés), an association of European magistrates, convened a conference in Rome titled “Europe in the context of the global attack on the Rule of Law and international law,” gathering testimony from lawyers, judges, and prosecutors across Europe and the United States about the …

Appointment of top federal prosecutors in New Jersey was unconstitutional, judge rules

A federal judge issued a 130-page ruling on March 9 disqualifying three Justice Department officials whom Attorney General Pam Bondi had installed to jointly oversee the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey — finding that the arrangement was implemented unlawfully. The case began when Trump’s original nominee, his former personal attorney Alina Habba, was barred …

Federal judges face threats after ruling against the Trump administration

A CBS News 60 Minutes investigation reports that federal judges who rule against President Trump’s agenda are increasingly facing intimidation and violent threats, including “swatting,” bomb threats, doxxing, and other harassment aimed at judges and their families. The segment centers on U.S. District Judge John Coughenour, who said threats spiked after he blocked an executive …

Illinois Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Threatening to Kill Federal Judge

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced that Eric James Rennert (56), of Champaign, Illinois, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for sending multiple threatening emails to a U.S. District Judge in South Florida, including threats aimed at the judge and the judge’s family. Court records say the messages …

Trump’s vicious attacks on judges fuel his bid for unchecked power

Steven Greenhouse argues that Donald Trump’s recent tirade against supreme court justices (after they ruled against his tariff policy) is not an isolated outburst, but part of a broader, intentional campaign by Trump and key aides to vilify the judiciary. The article describes how Trump and figures like Stephen Miller and Pam Bondi portray judges …

The price of public life: Judges and other officials doxed, swatted, threatened with death

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 …