Protecting Judges from Rising Threats

In a recent interview with the Brennan Center for Justice, a federal district judge described receiving more than 700 threatening phone calls to their chambers after hearing a case related to immigration enforcement by the second Trump administration. The judge, who asked to remain anonymous, also recounted intense online harassment — including having their home’s floor plan posted on the internet. 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.

The judge described how the experience left the whole family in a state of constant vigilance. They had “to drill what we’re going to do if someone enters the house.” The judge added, “I can’t leave my house at the same time or take the same routes. . . . When someone gets behind me, I just pull over and let them pass. It’s not the car you see — it’s the car you don’t see. . . . My [child’s] school has been made aware, as well as the local police.” As a result of the threats, the judge said, “the school had to increase [active] shooter trainings.”

This report draws on Brennan Center interviews with 35 sitting and retired federal judges about judicial security and threats against judges. The interviewees represent 10 of the 12 regional circuits and include judges appointed by every president since Jimmy Carter. Of the interviewed judges, 17 were serving on the bench at the time of their interviews. Eight of these 17 judges agreed to be identified in the report, as did 11 retired judges. The remaining interviewees asked to remain anonymous.

Federal judges today operate in an increasingly hostile landscape of threats, harassment, and intimidation. Chief Justice John Roberts dedicated part of his 2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary to the danger of violence directed at judges.¹ Two years later, the threats persist and are growing in number. According to the federal judiciary’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 congressional budget summary, published in March 2026, “security incidents of significant concern,” as reported by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), “increased for judges by 57 percent in FY 2025 and are on pace to rise again in FY 2026” — making security efforts “more urgent than ever.”² Justice Elena Kagan testified before the U.S. Senate in July 2026 that the Supreme Court Police expected a 38 percent increase in threats against Supreme Court justices in 2026, following a 25 percent increase in 2025.³

The current threat environment endangers not just judges’ safety but the rule of law.

This report analyzes the causes and ramifications of increased threats against judges, shares interviewees’ assessments of the existing security infrastructure, and recommends policies to improve judicial security. Unless specifically attributed, the conclusions and recommendations in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any interviewee.