Judicial Independence and Court Security

Federal judges report a surge in explicit death and rape threats after blocking Trump administration policies, with 60 Minutes documenting hundreds of voicemail threats and citing incidents such as U.S. District Judge John Coughenour being swatted by a false murder report and receiving a bomb threat the next day. Judges directly link the rise in violent threats to inflammatory rhetoric from President Trump — who has called judges “lunatic,” “monsters” and the “communist radical left” — and Coughenour said he had “never” seen this level of hostility in 44 years on the bench, receiving more death threats after his birthright‑citizenship ruling than in cases involving an al‑Qaeda bomber or Montana militia members, while a member of Congress circulated a “Wanted”‑style poster featuring him and other judges.