THREATS TO FEDERAL JUDGES ROSE 57% IN 2025, REPORT SAYS

None of the judges interviewed for the study said the threats influenced their decision making

Security incidents “of significant concern” involving federal judges rose 57% in 2025 — and are on pace to rise again this fiscal year, according to U.S. Marshals Service figures cited in a new Brennan Center for Justice report.

“Protecting Judges from Rising Threats” is based on interviews with 35 sitting and retired federal judges, including U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida, a nationally known judicial security advocate.

Judges accept the risks when they agree to serve, Bloom says.

“But our children don’t sign up for this,” she says. “There’s a personal effect, especially when you have children, who don’t understand there are security issues due to my role as a judge.”

The report refers to a Reuters investigation that found the average number of threats tripled between June 2015 and the fall of 2022.

“During roughly the same period, the U.S. Marshals Service documented nearly 27,000 threatening or harassing communications targeting members of the federal judiciary, a number it described to Reuters as ‘unprecedented.’”

One judge who asked to remain anonymous described receiving 700 threatening phone calls after hearing an immigration enforcement case. A subsequent wave of online harassment included the posting of the floor plans to the judge’s home, the report notes.

“Fearing for their and their family’s safety, the judge said that they ultimately spent a substantial amount of their own money to build a safe room and take other steps to fortify their home.”

None of the judges interviewed for the study said the threats influenced their decision making.

However, some were concerned about the long-term effects “if the problem persists unaddressed.”

“In a monarchy, the king is law, in a democracy, the law is king,” said retired Texas U.S. District Judge Royal Furgeson. “You cannot have a free society without the protections the law provides, and you cannot have the rule of law without an independent judiciary.”

Most judges interviewed praised the efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service but expressed concern about deteriorating court facilities and aging security screening systems.

Congress moved to address the concern in the 2026 budget, “fully funding the judiciary’s court security account, adding funding for new security systems and screening equipment at courthouses around the country,” the authors note.

The report stresses that “federal judges should not be left to confront threats, harassment and abuse without adequate resources and support.”

The report concludes with the following recommendations:

• Adequately fund judicial security. “The federal judicial branch requested $920.9 million for security for the federal courts, an increase of $28.9 million; moreover, the USMS has requested an additional $34.7 million to expand its Judicial Security Division’s protective operations mission,” the report notes.

• Strengthen federal and state programs to protect the personally identifiable information of judges and their families.

• Establish a blue-ribbon commission to evaluate options for housing judicial security within the judicial branch.

• Increase security training and operational support for judges and their families.

• Improve online safeguards against threats and harassment of judges. “Social media platforms should ensure that their content policies explicitly address the risks of doxing, harassment, and intimidation directed at judges.”

• Uphold the value of judicial independence. “Sitting and retired members of the judiciary, along with academic institutions, media organizations, bar associations, and political and community leaders, are well positioned to help improve civic education about the role of the courts.”

 

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