Amid rising threats and increasingly hostile incidents aimed at the federal judiciary, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has spearheaded a bipartisan plea for heightened security, aligning with 44 other states to urge Congressional action. According to the Department of Attorney General, these state leaders collectively underscore the urgent need for Congress to release a stranglehold on funding critical for the safety of judges, their families, and courthouse personnel, expressing the concern that "Our democracy cannot function if judges do not feel free to do their jobs honestly, ethically, and in accordance with the law because they are afraid of threats or acts of violence against them or their families," as Attorney General Nessel remarked.
Funding for the Judiciary’s Court Security Program has been locked in a two-year stalemate, leaving the courts without the resources needed to enhance or even sustain essential safety measures. This includes compensation for court security officers, upgrades to visual and physical monitoring systems, and overall maintenance of courthouse security infrastructure—gaps that have left judges and court personnel increasingly vulnerable. Part of the requested funding would also support the Judiciary’s Vulnerability Management Program, established under the widely backed 2022 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act. The initiative, created after the tragic killing of Judge Esther Salas’s son, is designed to protect the personal information of members of the judiciary from being misused.
Further amplifying their call, these attorneys general highlighted the observations of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Jr. In his 2024 report, he had already noted an upsurge in threats against judges—a trend that persists into 2025, with over 100 judges having their personal safety compromised through disturbing incidents of doxxing, including unsettling deliveries to their residences, some twistedly sent in the name of Daniel Anderl. Last year, the Michigan Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit alone brought charges in 40 cases of threats towards public officials, with a dozen targeting judges, representing a dangerous climate that cannot be overlooked or underestimated, according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General.
The rare unity among state attorneys general—from Alabama to Wyoming, California to Maine, and even American Samoa to the Northern Mariana Islands—highlights a broad, shared understanding that protecting the judicial branch is not a partisan issue, but a foundational element of a healthy democracy. Their collective stance underscores that, even amid rising threats and acts of intimidation, there remains a strong bipartisan resolve to defend the rule of law and those who uphold it. This powerful coalition’s appeal presents Congress with a nonpartisan imperative: a clear call to strengthen protections for the nation’s justice system and the people who serve it.
