Federal judges report a sharp rise in violent threats after high-profile rulings, saying public attacks and inflammatory rhetoric aimed at the judiciary have left many fearful for themselves and their families.
In interviews with 60 Minutes — many off camera — judges described a wave of harassment that includes angry voicemails, harassing deliveries, doxxing and hoaxes that have brought armed deputies to judges’ homes. The spike in threats followed notable rulings against President Trump and his policies, judges and security officials said.
Judge John Coughenour of the U.S. District Court in Washington state, who blocked the administration’s effort to end birthright citizenship, recounted a series of frightening incidents after his decision. A false report that he had killed his wife prompted deputies to arrive armed at his home; the next day there was a bomb threat. A congressman circulated a “Wanted” poster showing several judges. Coughenour told 60 Minutes he has received dozens, perhaps hundreds, of death threats and called the hostility over the last year unprecedented in his 44-year career.
The program documented examples of callers leaving messages wishing rape, decapitation or assassination on judges and their families. The U.S. Marshals Service, which protects the federal judiciary, said it is stretched thin and judges told 60 Minutes the marshals are overwhelmed trying to determine which verbal threats could translate into real-world violence. According to reporting cited in the piece, about 400 federal judges were the targets of serious threats last year — roughly a 78% increase over four years.
Retired Judge John Jones, a George W. Bush appointee, said dozens of former judges formed a bipartisan group to lobby the White House to stop demonizing the courts. Jones described the atmosphere as “toxic,” warning that people can locate judges’ addresses and might strike at judges or their family members. He said repeated, harsh attacks on the courts appear intended to delegitimize them and make it harder for judges to check presidential power.
Judge Esther Salas, a federal judge in New Jersey and a former Obama appointee, has been an outspoken critic of personal attacks on judges. Salas survived a targeted attack in 2020 in which a disgruntled litigant came to her home, killed her son Daniel and wounded her husband. While that attack was not politically motivated, Salas told 60 Minutes she is now more worried than she was after her son’s murder because national rhetoric against judges has worsened and she believes it emboldens people to act. She emphasized that dehumanizing judges undermines trust in the courts and that appeals and legal processes — not threats — are the proper responses to disagreeable rulings.
Security firms and court officials described evolving tactics beyond threatening calls. Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall, which helps remove judges’ personal data from the web, said vendors still find judges’ names and addresses in databases exploited by threat actors and that anonymous posts on forums and the dark web have proliferated. He warned of a growing “mob mentality” in which threats are used to try to influence judicial decisions.
Marshals are investigating new forms of intimidation, including mass prank or unsolicited pizza deliveries to judges’ homes and to the addresses of judges’ children. In some cases orders were placed using victims’ names, including the name of Judge Salas’s slain son; Salas called that tactic a weaponization of her child’s name that inflicts fear on judges and families.
President Trump has frequently criticized judges who ruled against his policies, using terms such as “fools,” “lunatics,” “monsters” and “rogue” after decisions on tariffs, immigration and other actions. Coughenour and other judges said such language can provoke followers to escalate rhetoric into threats. The White House told 60 Minutes that, as a survivor of assassination attempts, the president understands political violence, and in statements accused the judiciary of brazen defiance in some rulings. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the situation “a war” in comments reported by 60 Minutes and said that although some judges may issue “overbroad” injunctions, threats and intimidation of federal officials are unlawful.
Judges warned that the sudden volume and intensity of threats, and the erosion of institutional norms, endangers the rule of law. They urged use of appeals and lawful channels to challenge decisions and asked political leaders to stop inflammatory rhetoric that could encourage violence. Marshals and court security officials continue to adapt protections, but judges stressed that sustained, responsible discourse from leaders is essential to prevent further escalation.