Dramatic rise in threats against federal judges since Trump took office

Dramatic rise in threats against federal judges since Trump took office

The New York Times reports:

Threats against federal judges have risen drastically since President Trump took office, according to internal data compiled by the U.S. Marshals Service.

In the five-month period leading up to March 1 of this year, 80 individual judges had received threats, the data shows.

Then, over the next six weeks, an additional 162 judges received threats, a dramatic increase. That spike in threats coincided with a flood of harsh rhetoric — often from Mr. Trump himself — criticizing judges who have ruled against the administration and, in some cases, calling on Congress to impeach them.

Many judges have already spoken out, worrying about the possibility of violence and urging political leaders to tone things down.

Since mid-April, the pace of the threats has slowed slightly, the data shows. Between April 14 and May 27, it shows 35 additional individual judges received threats. Still, the total number of judges threatened this fiscal year — 277 — represents roughly a third of the judiciary. [Continue reading…]

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