Category: Judges: Targets and Resistance

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans are urging the US House to impeach two federal judges over rulings they argue were politically motivated and harmful to the Trump administration. The effort targets Washington, DC Chief Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg, who authorized secrecy orders tied to subpoenas in the investigation of efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and …

In this New York Times opinion video, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas warns that escalating political attacks on the judiciary are directly endangering judges and undermining the rule of law. Drawing on her personal experience — including the 2020 murder of her son, Daniel Anderl, by a litigant seeking revenge — Salas describes a sharp …

At a major public law conference in Haifa, former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut delivered a stark warning about what she described as a growing assault on Israel’s judicial system. Hayut condemned certain elected officials for “trampling the rule of law” and for engaging in a systematic campaign to delegitimize the judiciary, including public calls …

A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the prosecutor who secured their indictments, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney. Judge Cameron Currie found that Halligan’s appointment violated federal law and the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. Because her …

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki announced that he will refuse to nominate or promote any judges who question the legitimacy of colleagues appointed under the previous government’s judicial overhaul. The move directly targets judges who have raised concerns about the status of so-called “neo-judges” — those appointed after a controversial 2018 reform that reshaped the National …

In a recent PBS NewsHour interview, former immigration judge Emmett Soper described what he sees as an unprecedented politicization of the U.S. immigration court system. Soper is one of nearly four dozen immigration judges dismissed by the Trump administration without explanation, many of whom previously worked in immigrant defense. Soper said the firings are worsening …

In November 2025, Senior U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf publicly resigned from the federal bench, arguing that President Trump poses an “existential threat to democracy.” Writing in The Atlantic, Wolf accused the administration of weaponizing the justice system—pursuing political adversaries while protecting allies, donors, and friends from legal scrutiny. Wolf, a Reagan appointee with …

Threats against judges are on the rise — with more than 500 reported in the last year alone. From executive branch officials to political commentators, attacks are increasingly aimed at delegitimizing the courts. This escalation threatens the very foundation of judicial independence and risks discouraging qualified candidates from serving on the bench. The authors, leaders …