From pizza intimidation to murder attempts, American judges are under attack
A federal judge used a hearing to read death threats people sent her after a ruling where they wished her to die by suicide or murder. It’s not unique to her or one political party, as judges have raised concerns about judicial security and pressed for further protections.
The threats against judges for carrying out their duties aren’t new. Josh Blackman, a South Texas College of Law professor, said during the civil rights era, judges in the South often asked other U.S. District Court judges to preside over desegregation cases. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh faced an assassination attempt for his opinion in a leaked memo.
“It’s not surprising that people flip out and follow that lead,” Blackman said. “One feeds the other. It’s a vicious cycle that doesn’t end well.”
What’s growing are the pleas from judges and courts at all levels for increased protections as they rule in criminal cases and, sometimes, high-profile civil cases. He said that many judges aren’t cowed by threats of violence, but it’s a vicious cycle in society.
“It is a problem,” Blackman told Straight Arrow News.
In April 2025, a man pleaded guilty to an assassination plot against Kavanaugh. The attempt came shortly after the court’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, was leaked. On Feb. 12, U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes read email and social media death threats she received after her ruling to block the termination of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status.
Protections for both judges primarily fall under the U.S. Marshals Service, which has tracked investigations since the 2022 fiscal year. Since then, 2023 had the highest number of total threats lodged against judges at 630. The agency noted that multiple judges can be named as victims in one investigation, and that just one could also be named as a victim multiple times in different investigations.
As of Jan. 30, the agency has conducted 230 investigations, including 176 threats against 151 judges. According to the USMS’ 2025 annual report, marshals are responsible for protecting about 2,700 federal judges across more than 800 facilities.
Threats aren’t always about violence. More than a dozen judges received unsolicited pizza deliveries between March and May 2025. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in May requested the Justice Department to investigate the deliveries as acts of intimidation. He said people used deliveries to instill fear, as they signaled that they knew where the judges’ families lived.
“They’re supposed to decide cases without fear,” Blackman said.
Congress alarmed at rising threats against federal judges
According to a letter Democrats on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on federal courts sent to U.S. Marshals Service Acting Director Mark Pittella, senators requested a hearing with the USMS on April 11 after noting a rise in threats from judges appointed by presidents of both political parties. That hearing has yet to occur.
They told Pittella that threats endanger the government and the lives of judges and their families throughout the nation. They pointed to a January 2025 report from the U.S. Marshals Service that stated, because threats have increased, the need for protective services has as well.
“Since then, federal judges at all levels of the judiciary and appointed by presidents of both parties have expressed concern for their and their colleagues’ safety as a result of this threat environment,” the Democrats wrote.
Senate, House bills to establish databases for federal, state judges
The issue of threats and violence targeted at judges has reached Congress, where a bill would establish a threat intelligence and resource center. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., introduced the bill on July 22. It has remained in the House Judiciary Committee since then.
The bill would give the State Justice Institute, a federal body that awards grants to courts to improve the quality of justice, authority to keep a record of threats against states and local judges and court staff. It would also help establish new training and protocols for judicial security, including threat assessments of courthouses, officials’ homes and other related facilities.
Blackman is skeptical about the bill’s ability to address the threats, as that’s an undertaking for the FBI to investigate the crimes. He added that the biggest threat to the separation of powers would be for courts to have their own marshals service that doesn’t answer to the executive branch.
Bill Raftery, senior analyst at the National Center for State Courts, told Straight Arrow News the legislation would be instrumental, as very few states track threats or violence against judges. He said that the U.S. Marshals Service only keeps a tally on federal judges, but state records are limited because it’s typically a crime local police or sheriffs investigate.
An identical Senate bill was introduced by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Nov. 20. It passed by unanimous consent and is held at the desk in the House, according to the congressional record.
David Levi, president of the American Law Institute and a former federal judge, told a panel of lawyers during the American Bar Association’s July 1 webinar that assessments need to be made on where threats originate as they could be efforts to delegitimize the justice system.
“The essence of judicial independence is that judges can decide cases without fear or favor,” he said.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
