Litigation

Threats Increasing Against Federal Judges, Prosecutors

By Peter Hardin

The number of threats against federal judges and prosecutors has increased by more than double since 2003, according to a new report.

These threats rose from 592 in fiscal 2003 to 1,278 in fiscal 2008, according to an audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine and an article posted by CBS.

The audit was issued the same day that a gunman shot and killed a security officer and wounded a deputy marshal at a federal courthouse in Las Vegas; the gunman was shot to death by authorities, the Los Angeles Times reported. The gunman, a retiree, was apparently unhappy over losing a lawsuit involving his Social Security benefits.

The Justice Department audit pointed to “critical deficiencies” in that department’s ability to protect U.S. judges and prosecutors, according to the Washington Post. It said actual threats may be 25 percent higher than reported, because many of the targets fail to consistently report the threats. You can learn more about various kinds of attacks on judges from Gavel Grab.

Full post as published by The Gavel on January 05, 2010 (boomark / email).