California woman pleads guilty to threatening judge in abortion pill case
Dolly Kay Patterson entered her plea in Dallas federal court on the same day she was scheduled to go on trial on charges related to a threat that, according to court papers, had been directed at U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo.
According to court papers, opens new tab, she admitted that on April 16, 2023, she sent a message through an online form on the district court's website stating: "Tell this antiabortion judge he needs to watch his back--and that of his kids--the rest of his life!"
That message was sent a little over a week after Kacsmaryk, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President Donald Trump during his first term, suspended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's two-decade-old approval of mifepristone.
The U.S. Supreme Court later in June 2024 overturned an appeals court's decision that had partially upheld Kacsmaryk's ruling, preserving, for now, access to a medication used in more than 60% of U.S. abortions.
The abortion pill case was originally brought by anti-abortion groups and doctors. While the Supreme Court concluded they lacked standing to pursue the case, the Republican-led states of Idaho, Missouri and Kansas are now seeking to litigate the case in their place.
Prior to Monday's plea, Patterson had disputed government claims that she confessed to sending the message when the U.S. Marshals Service subsequently visited her home and argued that no evidence existed tying her to the message.
As part of a plea deal, opens new tab, Patterson, a retired former employee of Stanford University, agreed to plead guilty to just one of the two charges against her. That charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Lawyers for Patterson did not respond to requests for comment.
The case against Patterson was filed amid a surge in threats to judges nationally, prompting the federal judiciary to push Congress for increased security funding to help it ensure the safety of judges and their families.
A Reuters investigation this month identified at least 11 federal judges whose families have recently faced threats of violence or harassment after they ruled against the Trump administration. Pizzas have also been sent anonymously to the homes of several judges and their relatives.
During a hearing in March 2023 in the abortion pill case, Kacsmaryk, a former Christian legal activist, said his division had received a "barrage" of death threats and harassing phone calls and voicemails since the lawsuit began.
A Florida woman, Alice Marie Pence, in June pleaded guilty to threatening Kacsmaryk in March 2023 that he should "watch out for the red dot on your forehead" and make "the right decision." She was sentenced in November to 10 months in prison.
The case is U.S. v. Patterson, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, No. 2:24-cr-00070.
For the United States: Tiffany Eggers and Jongwoo Chung of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
For Patterson: Paul Herrmann of The Herrmann and Archer Law Firm
Read more:
US judges warn of threats, ask Congress for more security funding
US Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill mifepristone
Woman arrested for threatening to kill Texas federal judge in abortion pill case
Texas judge in abortion pill lawsuit often rules for conservatives
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