The
Trump
administration
has
never
seen
a
fire
they
were
*uninterested*
in
pouring
gasoline
on,
and
this
story
has
a
lot
of
that
energy.
We
all
know
that
the
right-wing
has
repeatedly
screamed
about
federal
judges
holding
the
line
on
the
rule
of
law
and
even
attempted
to
get
them
removed
from
office
for
the
audacity
of
doing
their
jobs.
And
all
that
vitriol
has
had
an
entirely
predictable
consequence,
which
is
an
increase
in
threats
to
judges.
As
documented
by
Reuters,
11
federal
judges
that
they
spoke
with
say
they
have
rising
concerns
about
their
own
safety.
The
U.S.
Marshals
Service
has
also
reportedly
briefed
judges
about
the
mounting
safety
concerns
as
well.
At
least
two
judges,
Paul
Engelmayer
and
Jeannette
Vargas,
have
received
extra
security
details
after
their
rulings
put
a
pause
on
the
DOGE
takeover
and
resulted
in
right-wing
backlash.
There
are
also
reports
that
several
judges
in
the
D.C.
area
had
pizzas
sent
anonymously
to
their
homes.
Which
is
not
seen
as
a
act
of
tasty
goodwill,
but
is
interpreted
by
law
enforcement
as
a
intimidation
tactic
meant
to
demonstrate
that
*someone*
knows
exactly
where
the
judges
live.
This
is
all
awful,
but
the
response
from
White
House
spokesperson
Harrison
Fields
is
simply
off
the
hook
wild.
“The
White
House
condemns
any
threats
to
really
any
public
officials,
despite
our
feelings
that
a
lot
of
these
people
are
leftist,
crazy
judges
that
aren’t
following
the
constitution,”
Fields
said.
“Just
because
these
people
are
leftist,
crazy,
unconstitutional
people
doesn’t
mean
they
deserve
to
be
harmed.
That’s
not
how
you
engage
with
disputes
in
this
country.”
This
is
not
the
sort
of
measured
statement
you’d
expect
from
someone
skilled
at
PR.
And
it
sure
as
shit
isn’t
the
response
of
someone
genuinely
concerned
about
the
safety
of
federal
judges.
The
Trump
administration
is
playing
roughshod
with
the
Constitution
and
folks
are
hoping
like
hell
the
court
system
is
at
least
a
speedbump
for
conservatives.
This
reaction
to
real
threats
to
public
servants
shows
the
Trump
administration’s
utter
contempt
for
the
very
concept
of
checks
and
balances.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].