Friday, May 02, 2025

These judges ruled against Trump, then families attacked

As federal judges rule against the Trump administration in dozens of politically charged cases, the families of at least 11 of the jurists have been targeted with threats and harassment. The intimidation campaign has strained judges and their relatives -- and legal scholars fear it could have a chilling effect on the judiciary.

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... When U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled in April that Trump administration officials could face criminal contempt charges for deporting migrants in defiance of a court order, the blowback was immediate.

When Elon Musk shared an online post that mischaracterized the work of Judge Boasberg's daughter, some of his followers responded on X with calls "to lock her up."

The president's supporters unleashed a wave of threats and menacing posts. And they didn't just target the judge. Some attacked Boasberg's brother. Others blasted his daughter. Some demanded the family's arrest -- or execution.

U.S. District Judge John McConnell's family endured similar threats after he ruled that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority in freezing grants for education and other services. Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer tweeted a photo of the judge's daughter, who had worked at the U.S. Education Department as a policy advisor, and accused McConnell of protecting her paycheck. Billionaire Elon Musk amplified the post to his 219 million X followers. Neither mentioned the daughter had left her job before Trump's inauguration.

Loomer continued her attacks with nine more posts in the ensuing days -- and more than 600 calls and emails flooded McConnell's Rhode Island courthouse, including death threats and menacing messages taunting his family, according to a court clerk and another person familiar with the communications.

Boasberg and McConnell are among at least 11 federal judges whose families have faced threats of violence or harassment after they ruled against the new Trump administration, a Reuters investigation found ...


#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-05-02 03:09 PM

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