Amid the Trump administration’s ongoing legal battles, federal judges and their families are reporting an uptick of threats, according to the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Internet Security.
The sister of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who cast a decisive vote in opposition to the administration’s foreign aid freeze, received a bomb threat at her home in South Carolina this month. The emailed threat said a bomb had been planted at her home, though no device was found.
In this March 16, 2023, file photo, Judge James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the Federal District Court in DC, stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.
Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
Other relatives of the justice have also said they received anonymous pizza deliveries at their homes — a prank viewed by law enforcement as particularly threatening because it’s meant to announce that strangers know who someone is and where they live.
Far-right users on Telegram and 4Chan have posted violent incitements directed at
U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who blocked the Trump administration from deporting noncitizens alleged to be members of Tren de Aragua. Some have called for violence against the judge and others have advocated sharing his personal and family information, SITE Intel reported.
CIS analysts note that “federal judges and family members have been receiving threats in recent weeks across the country, following judiciary decisions regarding the legality of federal administration policies. In addition to bomb threats and pizza deliveries, threatening rhetoric posted online and swattings have also been used.”
-ABC News’ Josh Margolin
