Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives

In his almost 45 years as a federal judge, John Coughenour has seen it all, including high-profile criminal trials that put his own safety at risk

In his almost 45 years as a federal judge, John Coughenour has seen it all, including high-profile criminal trials that put his own safety at risk.

But this year, the 84-year-old senior district judge did something he hadn’t considered for a long time: He retrieved a gun he had stored at the federal courthouse in Seattle years ago and brought it back to his home in case he needed it to defend himself.

Coughenour is one of dozens of federal judges who have found themselves at the center of a political maelstrom as they have ruled against President Donald Trump or spoken up in defense of the judiciary. With Trump administration officials vilifying judges who rule against the government, a wave of violent threats and harassment has often followed.

On Jan 23, just three days after Trump took office, Coughenour blocked an executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, calling the proposal “blatantly unconstitutional.” He was the first of several judges to rule against the administration on the issue, which is now before the Supreme Court.

“They put it before a certain judge in Seattle I guess, right? And there’s no surprises with that judge,” Trump said in the Oval Office later that same day. Coughenour was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.