logo
Judges warn Congress that more money is needed for security at a time of escalating threats

Judges warn Congress that more money is needed for security at a time of escalating threats

Independent18-04-2025

The federal judiciary is warning that Congress is not providing enough money for judges' security, at a time of escalating threats and chilling efforts at intimidation.
More than five dozen judges handling lawsuits against the Trump administration are receiving 'enhanced online security screening" that typically includes scrubbing their personal information from the internet, two federal judges appointed by Republican presidents wrote on behalf of the judiciary in a letter to congressional appropriators.
President Donald Trump, senior aide Stephen Miller and billionaire Elon Musk have railed at judges who have blocked parts of Trump's agenda, threatening impeachment and launching personal attacks. Trump's call to impeach the judge who temporarily halted deportations using an 18th century wartime law prompted a rare quick response from Chief Justice John Roberts.
Roughly 50 people have been charged with crimes in connection with the threats, U.S. Circuit Judge Amy J. St. Eve and U.S. District Robert J. Conrad Jr. said. Trump appointed St. Eve to the federal appeals court in Chicago during his first term.
'In extreme cases, the U.S. Marshals Service has been required to take extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of judges," St. Eve and Conrad wrote.
Authorities have yet to make any arrests in hundreds of increasingly unsettling and unwanted pizza deliveries to the homes of judges and their children, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas said during an online forum on Tuesday.
The most recent deliveries, this week, have been sent in the name of Salas' late son, Daniel Anderl, who was shot dead at the family home by a disgruntled lawyer in 2020.
The message is unmistakable, Salas said. ''I know where you live, I know where your kids live, and do you want end up like Judge Salas. Do you want to end up like her son?'' she said.
Last month, a sister of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the victim of a bomb threat in Charleston, South Carolina, police said. No bomb was found, police said.
The judges' letter was sent last week, but posted online Friday by the judiciary. It calls the current funding levels unsustainable, nearly $50 million less than what the courts requested just for security.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump sends thousands more troops to LA as unrest continues
Trump sends thousands more troops to LA as unrest continues

STV News

time29 minutes ago

  • STV News

Trump sends thousands more troops to LA as unrest continues

US President Donald Trump has deployed a further 2,000 National Guard troops as well as 700 US Marines to LA, escalating a military presence local officials describe as unhelpful and 'sowing terror.' An initial 2,000 troops began arriving on Sunday, which saw the most violence out of three days, with Governor Gavin Newsom claiming only 300 troops were actually used. 'The first 2,000? Given no food or water. Only approx. 300 are deployed – the rest are sitting, unused, in federal buildings without orders,' Newsom posted on X. Despite Monday's protests being less violent, Trump has continued to describe Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel, even though police say they don't need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department presented a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on X. Bass also criticised the deployment of National Guard troops and marines, calling it a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city.' 'I feel like we are part of an experiment that we did not ask to be a part of,' Bass said. A line of California National Guard, stand in formation guarding a Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major road and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities, including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. Local officials have pushed back against the president's orders, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops. He told reporters in his announcement Monday that Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilising California National Guard troops,' Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. Trump said Monday that the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. A police officer fires a soft round near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles. / Credit: AP The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state's National Guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration's mass deportation efforts. The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was in 1965, when President Lyndon B Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice. In a directive Saturday, Trump invoked a legal provision allowing him to deploy federal service members when there is 'a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

Trump orders thousands more troops to Los Angeles despite police warnings
Trump orders thousands more troops to Los Angeles despite police warnings

North Wales Chronicle

time31 minutes ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Trump orders thousands more troops to Los Angeles despite police warnings

The moves escalates a military presence that local officials and California governor Gavin Newsom do not want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests. An initial 2,000 Guard troops ordered by Mr Trump started arriving on Sunday, which saw the most violence during three days of protests driven by anger over the Republican's stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families. Monday's demonstrations were far less raucous, with thousands peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention centre where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city. Mr Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Mr Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they do not need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge' for them. Mr Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X. 'This isn't about public safety,' Mr Newsom said. 'It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.' U.S. Marines serve a valuable purpose for this country — defending democracy. They are not political pawns. The Secretary of Defense is illegally deploying them onto American streets so Trump can have a talking point at his parade this weekend. It's a blatant abuse of power.… — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 10, 2025 The protests began on Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. The smell of smoke hung in the air downtown on Monday, one day after crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Additional protests against immigration raids continued into the evening on Monday in several other cities including San Francisco and Santa Ana in California and Dallas and Austin in Texas. In Austin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a post on X that more than a dozen protesters were arrested, while in Santa Ana, a spokesperson for the city's police department said the National Guard had arrived in the city to secure federal buildings. California attorney general Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters in his announcement that Mr Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. 'We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilising California National Guard troops,' Mr Bonta said. He sought a court order declaring Mr Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. US officials said the Marine troops were deployed to protect federal property and personnel, including federal immigration agents. Mr Trump's Monday order put more National Guard members on active duty, but one US official warned that the order was just signed and it could take a day or two to get troops moving. T Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control. Ms Bass criticised the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines as a 'deliberate attempt' by the Trump administration to 'create disorder and chaos in our city'. She made a plea to the federal government: 'Stop the raids.' On Monday, thousands flooded the streets around City Hall for a union rally ahead of a hearing for arrested labour leader David Huerta, who was freed a few hours later on a 50,000 dollar bond. Mr Huerta's arrest on Friday while protesting agaisnt immigration raids has become a rallying cry for people angry over the administration's crackdown. He is the president of the Service Employees International Union California, which represents thousands of the state's janitors, security officers and other workers. Early protests had a calm and even joyful atmosphere at times, with people dancing to live music and buoyed by Huerta's release. Protesters linked hands in front of a line of police officers outside the downtown federal detention centre where Mr Huerta was being held. Religious leaders joined the protesters, working with organisers at times to de-escalate moments of tension. There was a heavy law enforcement presence in the few square blocks including the federal detention facility, while most in the immense city of some 4 million people went about their normal business on peaceful streets. Chanting against a line of National Guard troops with Homeland Security officers behind them surrounding the federal buildings ramped up in the afternoon as people yelled, 'Free them all!' and 'National Guard go away'.

Philippine senators prepare to be jurors in Sara Duterte's impeachment trial
Philippine senators prepare to be jurors in Sara Duterte's impeachment trial

Reuters

timean hour ago

  • Reuters

Philippine senators prepare to be jurors in Sara Duterte's impeachment trial

MANILA, June 10 (Reuters) - Philippine senators were preparing to be sworn in as jurors in Wednesday's impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, who faces a lifetime political ban if convicted of high crimes and betraying the public trust. The trial could be a pivotal moment in Philippine politics by not only making or breaking Duterte, but also carrying big implications for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his agenda for the remaining three years of his presidency and beyond. A likely contender to be the next president, Duterte, 47, was impeached in February by the lower house of Congress. She denies all the accusations, from budget anomalies to amassing unusual wealth and threatening the lives of Marcos, his wife, and the house speaker. "We stand ready to confront the charges and expose the baselessness of the accusations," her office said in a statement on Tuesday. The speaker of the Senate will be the presiding officer at her trial, with its other 22 members as jurors. A two-thirds majority is required to convict Duterte, which would kill off her hopes of running for president in 2028. The trial of the popular daughter of firebrand former President Rodrigo Duterte follows an acrimonious falling-out with former ally Marcos, who ran on a joint ticket that won the 2022 election in a landslide. Marcos is limited to a single term in office and is expected to try to retain future influence by grooming a successor capable of fending off Duterte in the next election if she is acquitted. The president has distanced himself from the impeachment process, even though it was launched by his legislative allies. The trial comes after a stronger-than-expected showing for Duterte's allies in last month's midterm elections. That demonstrated her enduring influence, despite the battle with Marcos and the arrest and handover to the International Criminal Court of her father in March over thousands of killings in a "war on drugs" he waged as president from 2016 to 2022. Sara Duterte is the fifth top official in the Philippines to be impeached, only one of whom, Renato Corona, a former chief justice of the supreme court, was convicted. The trial of former President Joseph Estrada was aborted in 2001 after some prosecutors walked out, while the resignations of two officials, an election commission chairman and an ombudsman, followed their impeachments. The start of Duterte's trial comes just three days after the end of the final session of the current Senate, with 12 new members set to join when the chamber next gathers in July. Duterte had asked the Supreme Court to nullify the impeachment complaint against her as being politically motivated. The court ordered Congress to respond. "The impeachment process must never be weaponised to harass, silence, or eliminate political opponents," her office said in Tuesday's statement. "It is a constitutional mechanism, not a political tool."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store