Consumer Law

Judge John M. Roll - Violent Threats for Doing His Job

By Joe Consumer

We at ThePopTort, like you, are terrible shaken up by the horrible events in Tucson.  As many already know, fatally wounded federal judge John M. Roll, sadly, had lived with violent threats against his life in the past.  This was because he ? like Rep. Giffords ?was simply doing his job: he allowed injured plaintiffs to pursue a case.  So, we thought we would tell you a little more about this case. 

The case was Vicente v. Barnett, which was heard in Judge Roll?s court.  This was a civil rights case resulting from anti-Latino hate crimes, the second one (here?s a chilling description of the first) brought by MALDEF ? Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund - against a violent border vigilante, rancher Roger Barnett, his wife, Barbara, and his brother, Donald.  As described by MALDEF, 

The plaintiffs are five women and 11 men who were resting at a wash in Douglas, Arizona when they were accosted by defendant Roger Barnett who was armed with a gun and accompanied by a large dog. Roger Barnett held the group captive at gunpoint, threatening that his dog would attack and that he would shoot anyone who tried to leave. During the encounter, Barnett kicked a plaintiff as she was lying, unarmed, on the ground.

In February 2009, a civil jury found in favor of the women plaintiffs and awarded damages on their claims of assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case was a victory in favor of the plaintiffs who suffered unjustly from Barnett's extreme and hateful antics.

According to the Arizona Republic,

When Roll ruled the case could go forward, U.S. Marshal David Gonzales said in 2009 that talk-radio shows cranked up the controversy and spurred audiences into making threats.

In one afternoon, Roll logged more than 200 phone calls. Callers threatened the judge and his family. They posted personal information about Roll online.

"They said, 'We should kill him. He should be dead,'" Gonzales said.

In an interview with The Arizona Republic in mid-2009, Roll, who was the chief federal judge in Arizona, said both he and his wife were given a protection detail for about a month.

"It was unnerving and invasive. ... By its nature it has to be," Roll said, adding that they were encouraged to live their lives as normally as possible. "It was handled very professionally by the Marshals Service."

At the end of the month, Roll said four key men had been identified as threat makers.

The Marshals Service left to him the decision to press charges but recommended against it. Roll said he had no qualms about following their advice.

The recommendation was based on the intent of those making the threats.

"I have a very strong belief that there is nothing wrong with criticizing a judicial decision," he said. "But when it comes to threats, that is an entirely different matter."

Judges should not have to live with threats, even the non-violent kind.  We honor Judge Roll.

Full post as published by ThePopTort on January 09, 2011 (boomark / email).