Current:Home > Contact-usThreats to federal judges have risen every year since 2019-LoTradeCoin
Threats to federal judges have risen every year since 2019
View Date:2024-12-24 10:19:53
Washington — Federal investigators responded to over 400 threats to federal judges across the country in 2023, nearly 300 more than in 2019, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and obtained by CBS News.
There were 457 incidents targeting federal judges that were investigated last year, up from just 300 in 2022 and 179 in 2019. According to the USMS — the federal law enforcement agency that protects the judiciary branch — the numbers represent the threats that were investigated. Members of the judiciary may have received more than one threat.
Investigated threats against federal judges have risen every year since 2019, according to the USMS.
Attacks and threats against the federal judiciary received more attention last year after the judge overseeing the 2020 election-related case against former President Donald Trump was the target of a criminal threat in August.
"We are coming to kill you," a Texas woman allegedly told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in a voicemail, according to court papers. "You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it." Prosecutors charged the woman for making the threats, and she pleaded not guilty.
Chutkan — who received an enhanced security detail after she was randomly assigned to preside over Trump's case, according to people familiar with the matter — was also the subject of a so-called "swatting" incident in January after emergency services in Washington, D.C., received a fake call about a shooting at her home address.
Last year, special counsel Jack Smith, who charged the former president with federal crimes, was also the target of a "swatting" incident.
According to USMS, 155 threats against federal prosecutors were investigated in 2023, compared to the 93 reported in 2022. In the five-year period between 2019 and 2023, threats against Justice Department attorneys first decreased to just 68 in 2021, before rising to last year's high.
Other public officials, including Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, and GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Brandon Williams of New York recently said they, too, were the targets of swatting incidents.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Merrick Garland warned of a "disturbing" spike in threats against public officials, which included hoax bomb threats at government buildings across the country that prompted numerous disruptive evacuations.
"These threats of violence are unacceptable," Garland told reporters in January. "They threaten the fabric of our democracy."
In Colorado, members of the state Supreme Court faced violent threats after they ruled Trump is ineligible to appear on the state's presidential primary ballot due to his conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That case is now being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
And in 2022, a California man traveled was charged with trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Robert LegareRobert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department, federal courts and investigations. He was previously an associate producer for the "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell."
veryGood! (87)
Related
- Monument erected in Tulsa for victims of 1921 Race Massacre
- Residents Fear New Methane Contamination as Pennsylvania Lifts Its Gas-Drilling Ban in the Township of Dimock
- Citing Health and Climate Concerns, Activists Urge HUD To Remove Gas Stoves From Federally Assisted Housing
- Why American Aluminum Plants Emit Far More Climate Pollution Than Some of Their Counterparts Abroad
- 'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home
- What Is Pedro Pascal's Hottest TV Role? Let's Review
- EPA Paused Waste Shipments From Ohio Train Derailment After Texas Uproar
- After a Decade, Federal Officials Tighten Guidelines on Air Pollution
- It's Red Cup Day at Starbucks: Here's how to get your holiday cup and cash in on deals
- Amazon Prime Day 2023 Deal: Save 50% On the Waterpik Water Flosser With 95,800+ 5-Star Reviews
Ranking
- Mandy Moore Captures the Holiday Vibe With These No Brainer Gifts & Stocking Stuffer Must-Haves
- Citing Health and Climate Concerns, Activists Urge HUD To Remove Gas Stoves From Federally Assisted Housing
- Amazon Prime Day 2023: Get a Portable Garment Steamer With 65,000+ 5-Star Amazon Reviews for Just $28
- Up First briefing: Climate-conscious buildings; Texas abortion bans; GMO mosquitoes
- Black and Latino families displaced from Palm Springs neighborhood reach $27M tentative settlement
- Cory Wharton's Baby Girl Struggles to Breathe in Gut-Wrenching Teen Mom Preview
- In Court, the Maryland Public Service Commission Quotes Climate Deniers and Claims There’s No Such Thing as ‘Clean’ Energy
- Annoyed by a Pimple? Mario Badescu Drying Lotion Is 34% Off for Amazon Prime Day 2023
Recommendation
-
Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
-
Residents Fear New Methane Contamination as Pennsylvania Lifts Its Gas-Drilling Ban in the Township of Dimock
-
Turning unused office space into housing could solve 2 problems, but it's tricky
-
Summer School 2: Competition and the cheaper sneaker
-
Maine elections chief who drew Trump’s ire narrates House tabulations in livestream
-
Trucks, transfers and trolls
-
Herbal supplement kratom targeted by lawsuits after a string of deaths
-
El Niño will likely continue into early 2024, driving even more hot weather