Overview

• Former Justice Anthony Kennedy cautioned during a Speak Up for Justice forum on June 26 that hostile rhetoric and attacks on judges endanger the rule of law.
• U.S. Marshals Service data show over 400 threats against federal judges since January, marking a sharp rise linked to public criticism by President Trump.
• Kennedy argued that framing judicial figures through identity politics undermines constructive debate and erodes public confidence in the judiciary.
• Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and U.S. District Judge Esther Salas highlighted that threats and harassment of judges amount to assaults on democratic governance.
• Kennedy called for civil political discourse and urged enhanced protections for judges and their families to safeguard judicial independence.