‘Somebody is going to die’: Federal judges’ refusal to kiss the ground Donald Trump walks on makes them a target

A dozen federal judges have spoken out, some in fear for their lives, about how the Supreme Court is undermining their authority and exposing them to violent threats. The court is allegedly doing this by consistently overturning the judges’ rulings against the Trump administration with little to no explanation. These judges, appointed by both Republican and Democratic presidents, say that when they rule against Trump, they are publicly criticized by his allies, and then the Supreme Court swiftly rejects their decisions.

This pattern, they argue, makes it seem like their work is shoddy and validates the harsh criticism they receive, which in turn fuels the threats against them. For years now, federal judges have been facing increasing security threats, and these judges who spoke to NBC News are not an exception. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is in charge of protecting federal judges, had more than 400 threat investigations this year alone as of June.

According to NBC, in fiscal year 2023, there were 457 threat investigations, which is a massive increase from 224 in fiscal year 2021. The judges who spoke to NBC News say that when they rule against the Trump administration, influential figures in the MAGA world and even Trump himself target them. One judge who has received threats said, “somebody is going to die” if this situation is not addressed. It sounds awful, and it’s something that should be taken seriously.

Judges are getting threatened by MAGA extremists

The judges believe the Supreme Court, and specifically Chief Justice John Roberts, should be doing more to defend their work. They feel the short, unexplained rulings on the “shadow docket” are effectively assisting the Trump administration in “undermining the lower courts,” leaving district and appeals court judges “thrown under the bus.” The “shadow docket” is a system for emergency cases that are handled much more quickly than the normal appeals process.

It’s becoming more and more common, especially with the current Trump administration, which has asked the Supreme Court to block lower court rulings 23 times since he took office in January. The court has granted these requests 17 times. The short explanations for these rulings are a major issue for lower court judges, who say they need clear guidance from the Supreme Court.

A judge explained that “Judges in the trenches need, and deserve, well-reasoned, bright-line guidance,” and that “Too often today, sweeping rulings arrive with breathtaking speed but minimal explanation, stripped of the rigor that full briefing and argument provide.”

While all the judges agree that the lack of explanation is a problem, not all of them blame the Supreme Court. One judge appointed by Barack Obama said that some lower court judges have been “out of line” and have been “forgetting to stay in their lane.” He also said that “the whole ‘Trump derangement syndrome’ is a real issue,” and that some judges are letting their personal feelings about Trump affect their rulings.

So, it’s a complicated situation, but it sounds like the judges are being caught in the middle. Either way, threatening a judge is never the answer, and that should be addressed first and foremost. These MAGA extremists clearly don’t like to wait for the rule of law to be implemented, and threats are their way of trying to stop the process in Trump’s favor.