‘Under attack’: Judge denounces Trump for fomenting judicial violence
U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed in an act of political violence meant for her, forcefully denounced the Trump administration for fomenting violence against the American judiciary.
CNN's Boris Sanchez asked Salas about the administration's decision to sue all 15 federal judges in Maryland for blocking the immediate deportation of undocumented migrants.
CNN reported, "The remarkable action lays bare the administration’s determination to exert its will over immigration enforcement as well as a growing exasperation with federal judges who have time and again turned aside executive branch actions they see as lawless and without legal merit."
Salas said, "Some would say that this is unprecedented," adding, "The Department of Justice generally represents judges when we're sued in our official capacity, and now we have a situation in which we're being sued."
Salas cited the Trump administration's calls for judges to be impeached for "just doing their jobs," suing judges when the opinion doesn't appease Trump, spreading disinformation, and "willfully defying court orders."
"I would say to you that, unfortunately, I think that the judiciary in many ways is under attack, and we are seeing that in the number of threats that are being lobbed against judges, pizzas being sent to judges homes in the middle of the night, to their children's homes, pizzas being sent in my murdered son's name. These are acts of intimidation meant to chill judges and the third branch of government.
"I will tell you that all Americans should be very concerned about the attacks against the third branch of government. You know...we're at 408 threats against judges, and we're only in June...Threats are up, the budget's down. This is a dangerous place for the judiciary to be in the United States of America."
