US judges fortify homes, alter routines as threats surge

Federal judges across the United States are changing their daily routines and fortifying their homes in response to a sharp increase in threats and harassment, according to two new studies by legal scholars. The research paints a stark picture of a judiciary under intense pressure, with judges reporting sleepless nights, anxiety, and deep concern for their families' safety.

One federal judge, speaking anonymously, admitted to briefly considering an alternative ruling to avoid provoking vitriol that could endanger the judge's family. The judge recalled agonizing for nearly an hour before ultimately sticking with the decision the law required.

Security incidents of significant concern rose by 57% in the year ending September 2025, according to a March report from the agency that administers the U.S. court system, with numbers on pace to climb further this year.

The studies, based on interviews with dozens of sitting and retired judges, document a range of defensive measures. Judges have varied their commutes, hired private security, and installed security cameras and panic buttons at home. One judge, who received over 700 threatening phone calls after hearing an immigration case, reported having home floor plans leaked and building a safe room.

"We are in a different era," said Amrit Singh, director of the Rule of Law Lab at New York University and lead author of one study. "The volume, intensity, character and modalities of the threats that we are witnessing today are new."

U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed and husband wounded in a 2020 attack at their home, said she is more worried about judicial safety now than she was then. She fears people will become desensitized to harmful rhetoric against the judicial branch, which she described as "under assault."

The reports recommend adequate funding for judicial security, greater protection of judges' personal information, and more prosecutions of those making threats.