By American Bar Association
The escalating attacks on the judiciary are not only against judges on the bench, but also on the rule of law and the U.S. justice system, according to jurists who addressed the issue during a July 1 American Bar Association webinar.
The three panelists shared their insights and personal experiences in the webinar, “When Pizzas Deliver a Threat of Intimidation: The Urgency of Defending Our Judiciary Against Attack,” sponsored by the ABA Litigation Section.
Serious threats against judges that have prompted investigations by the U.S. Marshals Service increased from 179 in 2019 to 457 in 2023, said moderator Laurence Pulgram, partner emeritus with Fenwick & West. More than 100 anonymous pizza deliveries have been made to the homes of federal judges in recent months, which appear to be part of a wave of efforts to intimidate the judiciary.
While threats against judges are nothing new, the current rise in activity is unprecedented, said Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, who has received seven anonymous pizza deliveries at her home. “I now see an arrogant disrespect for judicial decisions being challenged through attacks on the judiciary through these intimidation efforts,” she said. “Judges are actually now in fear of not being able to protect their families and they’re discouraged that their judicial decisions are not being respected.”
Retired Judge Nathan Hecht, former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, agreed, adding that “social media is a bullhorn” that is used to blast threats and disinformation, which takes a toll on the judiciary as well as the rule of law.
“The essence of judicial independence is that judges can decide cases without fear or favor,” said retired U.S. District Judge David Levi, president of the American Law Institute. Levi said he had a death threat just months before he left the bench in 2007, and the use of the internet to make anonymous threats has intensified.
“We should recognize some of these threats are coming from international sources, enemies of the United States” who are trying to delegitimize the American judiciary, especially Russia, he said. “We need to understand all these components so that we can develop a comprehensive, effective strategy” to combat those efforts.
Childs said she is concerned that such threats and intimidation can affect the pool of candidates offered for judicial positions because people may fear living and working under such circumstances. Levi concurred: “We want the best of the best to become our judicial officers.”
Childs pointed out that the values and ideals of the judicial system have been compromised internationally in places such as Indonesia, Hong Kong, Poland and Guatemala. “The United States usually provides statements of support to the other countries,” she said. “Recently, other countries are reaching out to us, the United States, asking what they can do to support our judiciary. So, the tides have turned.”
The panelists offered these ways for lawyers to help defend judges:
• Speak up and write in a nonpartisan way. That includes writing letters to editors, refusing to accept the attacks as appropriate and insisting that public officials and lawyers respect the courts.
• Form and join rapid response teams.
• Coordinate with local bar associations.
• Teach and promote civics and civility.
“We are reliant on the champions of justice — lawyers, the public, retired judges, the media — to step up and stand tall for the judiciary as a co-equal branch of government,” Childs said.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/07/attacks-on-judiciary-far-reaching/)
The escalating attacks on the judiciary are not only against judges on the bench, but also on the rule of law and the U.S. justice system, according to jurists who addressed the issue during a July 1 American Bar Association webinar.
The three panelists shared their insights and personal experiences in the webinar, “When Pizzas Deliver a Threat of Intimidation: The Urgency of Defending Our Judiciary Against Attack,” sponsored by the ABA Litigation Section.
Serious threats against judges that have prompted investigations by the U.S. Marshals Service increased from 179 in 2019 to 457 in 2023, said moderator Laurence Pulgram, partner emeritus with Fenwick & West. More than 100 anonymous pizza deliveries have been made to the homes of federal judges in recent months, which appear to be part of a wave of efforts to intimidate the judiciary.
While threats against judges are nothing new, the current rise in activity is unprecedented, said Judge J. Michelle Childs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, who has received seven anonymous pizza deliveries at her home. “I now see an arrogant disrespect for judicial decisions being challenged through attacks on the judiciary through these intimidation efforts,” she said. “Judges are actually now in fear of not being able to protect their families and they’re discouraged that their judicial decisions are not being respected.”
Retired Judge Nathan Hecht, former chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, agreed, adding that “social media is a bullhorn” that is used to blast threats and disinformation, which takes a toll on the judiciary as well as the rule of law.
“The essence of judicial independence is that judges can decide cases without fear or favor,” said retired U.S. District Judge David Levi, president of the American Law Institute. Levi said he had a death threat just months before he left the bench in 2007, and the use of the internet to make anonymous threats has intensified.
“We should recognize some of these threats are coming from international sources, enemies of the United States” who are trying to delegitimize the American judiciary, especially Russia, he said. “We need to understand all these components so that we can develop a comprehensive, effective strategy” to combat those efforts.
Childs said she is concerned that such threats and intimidation can affect the pool of candidates offered for judicial positions because people may fear living and working under such circumstances. Levi concurred: “We want the best of the best to become our judicial officers.”
Childs pointed out that the values and ideals of the judicial system have been compromised internationally in places such as Indonesia, Hong Kong, Poland and Guatemala. “The United States usually provides statements of support to the other countries,” she said. “Recently, other countries are reaching out to us, the United States, asking what they can do to support our judiciary. So, the tides have turned.”
The panelists offered these ways for lawyers to help defend judges:
• Speak up and write in a nonpartisan way. That includes writing letters to editors, refusing to accept the attacks as appropriate and insisting that public officials and lawyers respect the courts.
• Form and join rapid response teams.
• Coordinate with local bar associations.
• Teach and promote civics and civility.
“We are reliant on the champions of justice — lawyers, the public, retired judges, the media — to step up and stand tall for the judiciary as a co-equal branch of government,” Childs said.
(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/07/attacks-on-judiciary-far-reaching/)
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