University of Wisconsin–Madison

Category: Judges: Targets and Resistance

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 …

Albanian PM seeks to stop judiciary from suspending ministers

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his government will change the law to prevent ministers from being suspended while under criminal investigation, after a court suspended Deputy PM Belinda Balluku in November over alleged tender interference (which she denies). The proposal deepens a standoff with Albania’s anti-graft prosecutors (SPAK), who have asked parliament to lift …

Judge reads death threats during hearing on Trump decision to end legal protections for Haitians

A federal judge, Ana Reyes (U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.), read aloud death threats and profane messages she received after ruling that the Trump administration cannot immediately end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians while a lawsuit proceeds. At a Thursday hearing, she refused to pause (stay) her earlier order and said judges “will …

New judicial ethics code says judges may speak out against ‘illegitimate’ attacks

A new federal judiciary ethics opinion clarifies that judges may publicly defend the courts (and even judicial colleagues) against “illegitimate” criticism and attacks that threaten judicial independence or the rule of law—so long as they do so in a measured way. The guidance comes amid escalating political pressure on judges, including rhetoric from President Donald …

Judge in Minnesota tries to keep Trump administration in check during crackdown

A federal judge in Minneapolis sharply criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for repeatedly failing to follow court orders in lawsuits filed by people arrested during the Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said the government has not complied with nearly 100 court orders since January 1 across dozens of …

Supreme Court rules Polish government unlawfully removed judicial officials

Poland’s Supreme Court has ruled that the justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, and his predecessor, Adam Bodnar, acted unlawfully when they removed three judicial disciplinary officials—Piotr Schab, Przemysław Radzik, and Michał Lasota—before their fixed terms expired. The court’s professional liability chamber said the ministers lacked a clear statutory basis to dismiss them early, emphasizing that public …