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“Threats against judges are threats against constitutional
government. Everyone should be taking this seriously,” said
Judge Richard Sullivan, whom President Donald Trump appointed to
the federal appeals court in New York.
Billionaire Elon Musk and other Trump allies have railed at
judges who have blocked parts of Trump's agenda, threatening
impeachment and launching personal attacks. The Federal Judges
Association, the largest such organization, issued a rare public
statement decrying “irresponsible rhetoric shrouded in
disinformation” that could undermine public confidence in the
judiciary.
Sullivan joined Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the federal appeals
court based in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a call with reporters
following a meeting of the Judicial Conference, the judiciary's
governing body.
Security for judges in courthouses and their homes was part of
the discussion in the closed-door meeting, Sullivan and Sutton
said.
“We allocate disappointment to half the people that come before
us. Criticism is no surprise as part of the job. But I do think
when it gets to the level of a threat, it really is about
attacking judicial independence. And that’s just not good for
the system or the country,” said Sutton, who was appointed to
the bench by President George W. Bush.
Both judges stressed that threats have been rising for years and
neither mentioned Musk or Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts also
devoted his year-end report to efforts to undermine judicial
independence through intimidation, disinformation and the
prospect of public officials defying court orders.
Congress is not giving judges as much as they say they need for
security, the judges said. Funding has been “flat” for the past
two years, Sullivan said.
“Which means we’re not even keeping up with inflation in an
environment that is always changing and challenging,” he said.
On impeachment talk, Sullivan said that parties to lawsuits get
multiple cracks at the system, from the trial court to the
Supreme Court.
“Impeachment is not, it shouldn’t be a short-circuiting of that
process. And so it is concerning if impeachment is used in a way
that is designed to do just that,” he said.
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