At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on judicial nominations, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the committee, addressed an increase in threats against federal judges. The hearing included consideration of David Clay Wilkerson Fowlkes for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Nicholas Jon Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas, and Aaron Christian Peterson for the District of Alaska.
Durbin opened his remarks by acknowledging the demanding nature of federal court dockets and legal questions, but he emphasized that "more recently—and especially this year—the work has become even more difficult as jurists across the country face increasing personal attacks and even threats of violence."
He pointed to statements from President Trump criticizing members of the judiciary. According to Durbin, "The uptick in threats is not random. The attacks against individual judges by this Administration and their passionate followers have been recorded. In March, the President demanded the impeachment of a federal judge, simply for ruling against the Administration. The President called the judge ‘a Radical Left Lunatic, a troublemaker and agitator.’ The President added, ‘this judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ [sic] I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!’ The President is not the only member of his Administration to use this kind of inflammatory language.”
Durbin also noted congressional activity: “MAGA loyalists in Congress have eagerly piled on. So far this year, Republican congressmen have filed impeachment resolutions against at least eight district court judges for [a] high crime and misdemeanor. And the crime they’re accused of? Disagreeing with the President.”
He said that due to these threats, many judges now need extra security measures: “As a result of the surge in threats, many judges now require additional security—including judges in my home state of Illinois. The Administration’s unlawful immigration raids in Chicago have led to numerous lawsuits… This litigation, in turn, has led to a rise in threats against several judges who actually handle these cases. As I have said many times before and will repeat each time given [the] opportunity—violence or threats of violence, whether from the right or the left of the political spectrum, are never—ever—acceptable.”
Durbin cited a statement from Chicago’s chapter of the Federal Bar Association: “Expressions of public sentiment—whether criticism or praise—are not threats to judicial independence. Recent threats of violence directed at Chicago federal judges for simply doing their job, however, are unacceptable and have no place in our discourse.” He agreed with this assessment.
He further noted delays in receiving information from federal authorities: “More than six months ago, I asked the Justice Department for a briefing on the Marshals Service’s efforts to protect our judges. I’m still waiting for that to take place—it should be a priority of the Committee.”
Concluding his remarks Durbin stated: “The threats, risks, and challenges our federal judges face grow worse every day. Let’s do something about it on the Judiciary Committee.”
Video footage as well as audio recordings were made available following Durbin's statement.
