In a rare and chilling public reckoning, a group of federal judges has stepped into the spotlight—not for rulings, but for survival. They’re the ones who dared to cross Donald Trump’s political path, and now they’re recounting the fallout: death threats, armed police raids, and pizzas ordered in the name of a murdered child.
Chief Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island, no stranger to controversial rulings, summed it up starkly: “Disturbing. Frightening.” He’s faced threats of imprisonment, assassination fantasies, and hundreds of unprintable voicemails since blocking major parts of Trump’s policy machine.
At the “Speak Up For Justice” event—part courtroom confessional, part emergency siren—five judges broke their silence. Their message: the judiciary isn’t just under attack; it’s under siege.
The threats haven’t emerged in a vacuum. Trump and his political orbit have labeled opposing judges as “activists,” “crooked,” and “rogue,” whipping up public hostility that’s become dangerously real. Bomb threats. “Swatting” hoaxes. Dark web searches for judges’ home addresses. And yes, pizzas—delivered not as pranks, but as grim reminders of violence, invoking the name of Daniel Anderl, the slain son of Judge Esther Salas.
McConnell, appointed by President Obama, disclosed six credible threats to his life. One voicemail bluntly stated, “Your ass is going to prison. I wish somebody would assassinate your ass.” Another message referenced sending “Smith & Wesson” to his doorstep. His courthouse received over 400 vitriolic calls.
Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee who blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order, was subjected to a fake emergency call that sent police with weapons drawn to his home. Not long after, the FBI alerted him to a bomb threat.
“It’s unspeakable that people will do these things,” Coughenour said. “The damage to the judiciary’s reputation is staggering. All because some political actors think there’s power in shredding the rule of law.”
Judge Salas, who lost her son in 2020 to a gunman targeting her over a case, now leads the call for security reform. According to figures she shared, the U.S. Marshals Service has documented 408 threats against 297 judges since October 1.
On the same day the judges spoke out, the U.S. Senate confirmed Trump nominee Gadyaces Serralta to lead the Marshals Service. He’s promised his top priority is safeguarding judges—a job that now seems more like counterterrorism than public service.
In the midst of it all, one truth reverberates louder than the threats: when the judiciary is targeted for doing its job, the very scaffolding of democracy begins to creak. These judges didn’t just issue rulings—they rang an alarm bell. And this time, it’s not about politics. It’s about whether judges can survive doing their jobs.
