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Federal judges rarely speak out, but a number of them are making an exception this year to denounce threats against themselves and their families. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports.
CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE: Jack McConnell is the chief judge for the District of Rhode Island. Earlier this year, he issued a ruling that blocked President Trump's freeze on federal aid.
JACK MCCONNELL: And our court received over 400 vile, threatening, horrible voicemails.
JOHNSON: McConnell says that included a half dozen credible death threats that shook his faith in the judicial system and the rule of law.
MCCONNELL: Someone was on the dark web searching for my home address because - this is a quote - he wanted "Smith & Wesson" to pay me a visit at my home.
JOHNSON: The U.S. marshals have been investigating those threats. They tell NPR protecting the judiciary remains a top priority. But the marshals are already pretty busy this year, chasing leads on threats against dozens of other sitting federal judges. Many of them have followed judges' rulings against the Trump administration. Esther Salas is a federal judge in New Jersey. She helped organize a nonpartisan forum recently to draw attention to the problem.
ESTHER SALAS: Judges are being threatened, and these threats are threats that go to the core of a human being. And that's when you're messing with someone's family.
JOHNSON: Five years ago, a disgruntled lawyer showed up at Judge Salas' home and killed her son, Daniel. Now Salas hears disturbing reports that people are sending unwanted pizzas to other judges using the name of her dead son.
SALAS: And then to hear that my beautiful son's name - you know, everything that Danny stands for is love and light - and to hear people using it as a weapon, weaponizing his name.
JOHNSON: Robert Lasnik is a federal judge in Seattle. He got a pizza delivery after talking with a local public radio station about efforts to intimidate judges.
ROBERT LASNIK: You know, what's the message to Judge Lasnik? We know where you live. We know where your children live, and they could end up dead like Judge Salas' son did.
JOHNSON: Lasnik has been a judge since 1998. He says his grown kids told him to keep speaking his mind, but he worries about newer judges in this hostile environment.
LASNIK: It's so discouraging to a young judge to suddenly not only worry about, how do I do this job right, but how do I keep my family safe?
JOHNSON: Trouble arrived at the doorstep of federal judge John Coughenour in Washington State this year after he blocked the president's executive order on birthright citizenship.
JOHN COUGHENOUR: The local sheriff's office received a call saying that I had murdered my wife, and they arrived at my house with weapons drawn in what is now called a swatting incident.
JOHNSON: He says he signed up for a job in public service and all that comes with it but his family did not. Judge Salas, who lost her son, is asking politicians and their allies outside government to watch their words.
SALAS: What we need is our political leaders from the top down to stop fanning these flames, to stop using irresponsible rhetoric, to stop referring to judges as corrupt and biased and monsters that hate America.
JOHNSON: A White House spokesman told NPR, attacks against public officials, including judges, have no place in our society. And he said President Trump knows all too well the impact of callous attacks, having faced two assassination attempts.
Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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