In Donald Trump's America, federal judges now fear for their safety

US President Donald Trump's impeachment call against a federal judge has triggered a surge in online threats, raising concerns about judicial safety

US President Donald Trump’s angry call earlier this week for the impeachment of federal judge James Boasberg, who ruled against his administration on deportation flights, has sparked a wave of social media taunts and threats, including images depicting judges being led away in handcuffs, The New York Times (NYT) reported.

 

In a social media post on Tuesday, Donald Trump not only demanded the impeachment of Judge Boasberg but also labelled him a “radical Left lunatic, a troublemaker, and agitator” for issuing an order temporarily blocking the administration’s plan to deport Venezuelan immigrants.

 

According to the NYT report, this has left federal judges worried that online threats against those handling high-profile cases related to Trump administration policies could lead to real-world violence against them.

 

 

Boasberg is not the only judge facing threats

 

The report said a few days ago, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s sister in Charleston, South Carolina, received an email threatening that a pipe bomb had been placed in her mailbox and would detonate upon opening. Though the bomb turned out to be a hoax, judges say the threats and intimidation they and their families face are very real.

 

The NYT report cited Judge Esther Salas of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, whose 20-year-old son was killed at her home in 2020 by a self-proclaimed anti-feminist lawyer. Expressing her fear, she told NYT, “It feels like people are playing Russian roulette with our lives.”

 

“This is not hyperbole,” she added. “I am begging our leaders to realise that there are lives at stake.”  ALSO READ | Judge blocks Trump admin from terminating $14 bn in 'green bank' grants

 

Earlier this month, federal appellate judges Jeffrey S Sutton and Richard J Sullivan, both appointed by Republican presidents, voiced concerns about judicial safety following a meeting of the Judicial Conference, the federal judiciary’s national policy-making body, the report said.

 

“Criticism is no surprise, it’s part of the job,” said Judge Sutton, the chief judge of the Sixth Circuit. “But I do think, when it gets to the level of a threat, it really is about attacking judicial independence,” Sutton told NYT.

 

How intimidation tactics against judges have escalated in the US

 

According to the report, intimidation tactics include bomb threats, anonymous calls sending Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams to judges’ homes, and pranks like unsolicited pizza deliveries carrying an underlying message of threat.

 

While the threats and intimidation have not yet resulted in actual violence, they seem to be escalating as Trump and his supporters increasingly question the legitimacy of the American legal system.

 

Who is Judge James E Boasberg and why does Trump want him impeached?

 

Judge James E Boasberg has served as the chief judge of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia since 2023. He has overseen high-profile cases involving Donald Trump, including grand jury investigations into the former president’s actions related to the 2020 election and classified documents.  ALSO READ | US Chief Justice John Roberts rejects Trump's call to impeach judge

 

Trump has called for Judge Boasberg’s impeachment following a legal dispute over immigration, in which the judge ordered a halt to the administration’s deportation of Venezuelan migrants.

 

Despite Boasberg’s ruling, the Trump administration proceeded with the deportations, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law allowing the President to detain or deport individuals from an enemy nation. The dispute escalated when Trump’s Justice Department refused to answer Boasberg’s questions, leading to a broader constitutional battle.