Federal judges say elected officials are eroding confidence in judicial system

The judges, who were appointed by presidents of different parties, discussed their growing concerns about safety and experiences with threats with NBC News.

TRENTON, N.J. — Elected officials are eroding confidence in the judicial system, and the vitriol increasingly espoused by politicians angry over court rulings can have dangerous implications, two federal judges told NBC News.

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“When you call us monsters, and when you say we hate America, and you post that on a large social platform, and when you say it in front of the cameras day in and day out, and when it’s written, and when people put up wanted posters,” U.S. District Judge Esther Salas said. “You are doing that for one reason, and that is to erode the public’s confidence.”

Salas, whose only child was killed in 2020 by a man targeting her, and retired U.S. District Judge John Jones III sat down with NBC News as part of the network’s Common Ground initiative aimed at bringing leaders from different perspectives together to discuss solutions on bridging that gap.