New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin led a bipartisan letter to congressional leaders on Wednesday asking for a bump in funding to protect federal judges, citing increasing threats of violence to judges across the country.
The letter, addressed to the Republican and Democratic leaders of Congress, asked for additional resources to protect the personal information of judges and increase courthouse security. Attorneys general from 47 states signed the letter.
The letter cites several instances of violence against judges, including the attempted assassination of New Jersey District Judge Esther Salas in 2020. The attacker murdered her son, Daniel Anderl, after he answered the door, and her husband Mark was wounded. The killing sparked the passage of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, which allows judges to remove personal information from public websites. (A similar 2020 state law bars the publication of the addresses of state judges.)
The attorneys general wrote that congressional leaders should designate more funding to the Judiciary’s Vulnerability Management Program, which implements the protections approved in the Anderl Act. They write that despite an increase in threats against federal judges, the Court Security program has faced a “hard freeze” in funding.
“As threats against federal judges reach all-time highs, Congress must take immediate action to protect our federal judges, their families, and court staff,” Platkin said. “Our experience in New Jersey—including the tragic murder of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl—is a painful reminder of the critical and urgent need for this funding.”
Copycats have exploited Anderl’s murder in threats to judges across the country. The attorneys general wrote that more than 100 judges across seven states have received unsolicited pizza deliveries to their homes, many of which were placed in the name of Daniel Anderl. The “doxxing” incidents are meant to intimidate judges, they say.
“It lets the judge know, ‘I know where you live, or I know where your daughter lives,’” Middle District of Florida Chief Judge Marcia Morales has said.
The attorneys general wrote that some courthouses have diverted money away from security efforts — like control systems to keep the public away from judges’ chambers — to keep paying the salaries of court security officers.
A spate of political violence earlier this year led to efforts to increase security and cool down the temperature of American politics. Many of the judges who have received threats have ruled against President Donald Trump, who has accused the judiciary of radicalism throughout the year.
The assassination of a Democratic legislator in Minnesota (and wounding of a second legislator) led to concern within New Jersey’s Statehouse. Election officials later proposed a rule that would standardize how candidates can use campaign funds for personal security.
Attorney General Dave Sunday of Pennsylvania, Attorney General John Formella of New Hampshire, Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Attorney General John B. McCuskey of West Virginia co-led the letter with Platkin.
“I am proud to lead a broad bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in urging Congress to provide this essential funding,” Platkin said. “And I am grateful for the immense courage of those like Judge Salas who continue to stand for justice despite the threats against them—threats that no public servant should ever have to endure.”
