Congress considers legislation to protect federal judges

ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Marshals Service reports a major increase in the number of threats or inappropriate communications against federal judges and court staff, prompting federal legislation to protect them.

The number of incidents increased from 926 in 2015 to 4,261 in 2020, including the July 19, 2020, murder of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas of the District of New Jersey. A lawyer upset with the judge’s handling of his lawsuit obtained her address and photos of her home and vehicle on the internet. The lawyer, Roy Den Hollander, posed as a delivery courier and killed Anderl and wounded Salas’ husband. Den Hollander later committed suicide.

This month the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate. The bill would protect judges’ personally identifiable information in federal databases and restrict data aggregators from reselling judges’ personal information. The legislation has bipartisan support in the Senate as does a companion bill filed in the House of Representatives.

Judge Roslynn R. Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, says our constitutional system depends on an independent judiciary. “Judges must be able to make decisions without fear of reprisal or retribution. This is essential not just for the safety of judges and their families, but also to protect our democracy.”

Since 1979, four federal judges have been murdered. In two other cases, including the fatal shooting of Salas’ son, relatives were murdered during attacks that targeted federal judges in their homes.