Federal Judge McConnell Breaks Silence on Death Threats and Doxxing Amid Escalating Rhetoric Against the Judiciary
Key Takeaways
- •Judge McConnell ordered the Trump administration to release billions in frozen federal grants, a ruling the administration resisted and that became a flashpoint between the executive branch and federal courts.
- •McConnell reported receiving six or seven credible death threats, having his daughter doxxed by Laura Loomer and Elon Musk, and appearing on a wanted poster created by a congressman.
- •The U.S. Marshals Service, which protects federal judges, has long reported a sustained upward trend in credible threats against members of the bench.
- •McConnell stated that the problem crosses party lines, noting that Democratic senators have also used inappropriate language about judges, though he characterized current executive branch rhetoric as an effort to delegitimize the courts.
- •Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a similar warning in 2025, stating that attacks on the judiciary appear designed to intimidate and risk undermining the Constitution and the rule of law.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked judges who rule against him, accusing them of being traitors and threats to the nation. His supporters have echoed and acted on that rhetoric — intimidating judges through false accusations, violent threats, vows of sexual assault, and harassment of their family members.
One of those targeted judges is now speaking publicly. In an interview with MS NOW's Nicolle Wallace on Thursday, Judge John J. McConnell Jr., Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, described what he and his colleagues are enduring. McConnell drew national attention after ordering the Trump administration to release billions in frozen federal grants, a ruling the administration resisted and that became a flashpoint in the broader confrontation between the executive branch and the federal courts.
"It's not an easy thing for any of us to come forward and talk about the personal threats," McConnell said. "There is an unprecedented amount of personal attacks against judges — not just me, but all across the country. It's systematic, it's growing, it's severe. There are sustained efforts."
McConnell attributed the climate to rhetoric from high-level executive branch officials:
"There are, in my opinion, results of sustained efforts by high-level members of the executive branch who have called judges rogue, insurrectionists, radicals, haters, moneyed, lunatics, corrupt, vicious. And this constant personal attack on my fellow district judges and myself and our families is the beginning of the attack on equal justice under the law, according to the rule of law."
He detailed the personal toll: "My story is not unique — it's disturbing, but it's not unique. I received six or seven credible death threats. My daughter was doxxed by Laura Loomer and by Elon Musk. I have a picture of myself on a wanted poster made by a congressman. Ethics complaints were filed against me, and some of the attacks were against my wife — certainly not a public figure. And so that level of personally attacking judges by a co-equal branch of government is detrimental to our democracy as we know it."
The threats come amid a documented rise in hostile rhetoric aimed at the judiciary across multiple administrations, with the U.S. Marshals Service — the agency responsible for protecting federal judges — long reporting an upward trend in credible threats against members of the bench.
McConnell emphasized that the problem transcends party lines: "We had Democratic members of the Senate speak inappropriately about judges, using deceptive language. What we're seeing right now, out of the executive branch, appears to be an attempt to delegitimize the courts, to delegitimize judges. The Deputy Attorney General — who's potentially in line to be the Attorney General — said we're at war with the courts, and called people to action. These kinds of things are not acceptable in a democratic society when we follow the law."
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a similar warning in 2025: "The attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate. The threats and harassment are attacks on our democracy, on our system of government. And they ultimately risk undermining our Constitution and the rule of law."
