Judge threats surge; one judge convicted

Summary

From early 2025, judges who ruled against Trump administration policies faced a sharp escalation in violent threats including bomb threats, swatting, doxxing, and threats against family members, amplified by presidential rhetoric labeling judges "monsters" and by Trump allies calling for impeachment of judges who blocked administration actions.

What happened

Federal judges who ruled against the administration in early 2025 faced a wave of threats, including a bomb threat to Justice Amy Coney Barrett's sister, while Republican lawmakers close to the president and Elon Musk called for impeaching judges who blocked administration actions. Trump called for the impeachment of Judge James Boasberg after his March 15, 2025 Alien Enemies Act ruling, prompting Chief Justice Roberts' March 18 public rebuke. The U.S. Marshals Service said threats against federal judges had doubled in recent years. In 2026, CBS's 60 Minutes reported that 400 federal judges were targets of serious threats in 2025, a 78% increase over four years, and that the Marshals were investigating hundreds of unsolicited pizza deliveries to judges and their children, at least 20 of them sent in the name of Judge Esther Salas's son, who was murdered in 2020. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was charged by the Justice Department in April 2025 and convicted of felony obstruction in December 2025.

Impact on the United States

Sitting federal judges told CBS's 60 Minutes they feel "under siege," and most would not appear on camera for fear for their safety. Judge John Coughenour, who blocked the birthright-citizenship order and then faced a false report to police and a bomb threat, said he had "never encountered the hostility toward the judiciary" seen in the past year. Legal experts told NPR that impeachment threats and threats to judges' safety compromise judicial independence.

Documented effects

1. Mar 18, 2025Chief Justice John Roberts said in a rare statement on March 18, 2025 that "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," after Trump called for Judge James Boasberg's impeachment[4]
2. Mar 2026CBS's 60 Minutes reported hundreds of threats left on judges' voicemails; most of the sitting judges it interviewed would not appear on camera, fearing for their safety[2]
3. Dec 2025Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in April 2025 with obstruction and concealment after leading an undocumented defendant out of her courtroom through a private jury door; on December 18, 2025, a jury convicted her of felony obstruction and acquitted her of the concealment count[3]
4. Mar 2026400 federal judges were targets of serious threats in 2025, a 78% increase over four years, and the U.S. Marshals are investigating hundreds of unsolicited pizza deliveries sent to judges and their children, CBS's 60 Minutes reported[2]

Why this is rated significant

A documented surge in threats against judges chills judicial independence, a significant rule-of-law harm though effects are diffuse.

Corrections & updates [6]

Every change to a fact on this page after publication is logged here, newest first.

1. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedDate

   Judge Boasberg's Alien Enemies Act order came on March 15, 2025. Trump's call for his impeachment came afterward, and Chief Justice Roberts responded on March 18; no cited source dates Trump's post to March 15.[4]

   + Show previous and current text- Hide previous and current text

   Previously

   Within six weeks of Trump's return to office, 162 judges were threatened - more than double the number over the prior five months. Reuters analyzed over 600 social media posts targeting judges' families since February 2025, with posts amplified by prominent Trump allies and viewed over 200 million times. Trump called for the impeachment of Judge Boasberg on March 15 after the Alien Enemies Act ruling, prompting Chief Justice Roberts' March 18 public rebuke. U.S. Marshals warned judges of "unusually high threat levels." One judge received an unsolicited pizza delivery referencing the murder of a judge's son in 2020. Senators Durbin (November 2025) and Whitehouse (January 2026) raised alarms about DOJ's arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan in April 2025 as an escalation of pressure on the judiciary.

   Now

   Within six weeks of Trump's return to office, 162 judges were threatened - more than double the number over the prior five months. Reuters analyzed over 600 social media posts targeting judges' families since February 2025, with posts amplified by prominent Trump allies and viewed over 200 million times. Trump called for the impeachment of Judge Boasberg after his March 15 Alien Enemies Act ruling, prompting Chief Justice Roberts' March 18 public rebuke. U.S. Marshals warned judges of "unusually high threat levels." One judge received an unsolicited pizza delivery referencing the murder of a judge's son in 2020. Senators Durbin (November 2025) and Whitehouse (January 2026) raised alarms about DOJ's arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan in April 2025 as an escalation of pressure on the judiciary.

2. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedKey facts

   The Dugan item cited a source (CBS 60 Minutes) that does not cover her case. It now cites PBS Wisconsin/AP, which reports she was charged in April 2025 and that on December 18, 2025 a jury convicted her of felony obstruction and acquitted her of misdemeanor concealment. The phrase 'creating precedent for criminalizing judicial independence' was an unsourced characterization and was removed.[3]

3. Sep 29, 2026UpdatedKey facts

   Added CBS 60 Minutes' reported figure on serious threats against federal judges.[2]

4. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedFigure

   Several claims were not in any cited source and could not be verified: that 162 judges were threatened in Trump's first six weeks; that Reuters analyzed 600 posts viewed 200 million times; a U.S. Marshals quote about 'unusually high threat levels'; a quote from a Seattle judge; and statements by Senators Durbin and Whitehouse. They are removed. The entry now uses figures the sources do contain: CBS's 60 Minutes reported that 400 federal judges were targets of serious threats in 2025, a 78% increase over four years, and NPR reported the Marshals Service said threats against federal judges had doubled in recent years.[1][2][4]

5. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedDisplay copy

   The headline said a judge was 'arrested'; the record says Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in April 2025 and convicted of felony obstruction in December 2025, and the cited source reports the conviction, not an arrest. The headline now matches the record.[3]

   Previously

   Judge threats surge; one judge arrested

   Now

   Judge threats surge; one judge convicted

6. Sep 29, 2026CorrectedCost estimate

   The $172M figure counted a $142M lower-court security increase that the cited sources describe only as a budget request (the Washington Post reported that only the Supreme Court got new security money), plus Supreme Court security funds that no source links to the administration's rhetoric. Nothing is booked until a source ties specific spending to the threat surge. That is a floor, not a finding of no cost.

   Previously

   net $172M so far; 10yr $450M; 15yr $620M

   Now

   net $0; 10yr $0; 15yr $0

Sources [4]