{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-calls-out-recent-uptick-in-threats-against-federal-judges", "Durbin Calls Out Recent Uptick In Threats Against Federal Judges", "2025-11-19", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "During Durbin\u2019s opening statement in a Senate Judiciary Committee nominations hearing, he condemned the recent uptick in threats against federal judges as President Trump continues his harmful rhetoric targeted at the Judiciary\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the judicial nominations of David Clay Wilkerson Fowlkes, to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas; Nicholas Jon Ganjei, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas; and Aaron Christian Peterson, to the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.\n\nDuring his opening, Durbin highlighted President Trump\u2019s attacks on the judiciary.\n\nKey Quotes:\n\n\u201cThe dockets are busy. The questions of law are complicated. But more recently\u2014and especially this year\u2014the work has become even more difficult as jurists across the country face increasing personal attacks and even threats of violence.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe uptick in threats is not random. The attacks against individual judges by this Administration and their passionate followers have been recorded. In March, the President demanded the impeachment of a federal judge, simply for ruling against the Administration. The President called the judge \u2018a Radical Left Lunatic, a troublemaker and agitator.\u2019 The President added, \u2018this judge, like many of the Crooked Judges\u2019 [sic] I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!\u2019 The President is not the only member of his Administration to use this kind of inflammatory language.\u201d\n\n\u201cMAGA loyalists in Congress have eagerly piled on. So far this year, Republican congressmen have filed impeachment resolutions against at least eight district court judges for [a] high crime and misdemeanor. And the crime they\u2019re accused of? Disagreeing with the President.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a result of the surge in threats, many judges now require additional security\u2014including judges in my home state of Illinois. The Administration\u2019s unlawful immigration raids in Chicago have led to numerous lawsuits\u2026 This litigation, in turn, has led to a rise in threats against several judges who actually handle these cases. As I have said many times before and will repeat each time given [the] opportunity\u2014violence or threats of violence, whether from the right or the left of the political spectrum, are never\u2014ever\u2014acceptable.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019d like to quote from a recent statement by the Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association\u2014a nonpartisan organization. The statement reads, \u2018Expressions of public sentiment\u2014whether criticism or praise\u2014are not threats to judicial independence. Recent threats of violence directed at Chicago federal judges for simply doing their job, however, are unacceptable and have no place in our discourse.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t agree more.\u201d\n\n\u201cMore than six months ago, I asked the Justice Department for a briefing on the Marshals Service\u2019s efforts to protect our judges. I\u2019m still waiting for that to take place\u2014it should be a priority of the Committee.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe threats, risks, and challenges our federal judges face grow worse every day. Let\u2019s do something about it on the Judiciary Committee.\u201d\n\nVideo of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available here.\n\nAudio of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available here.\n\nFootage of Durbin\u2019s opening statement is available herefor TV Stations.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-calls-out-recent-uptick-in-threats-against-federal-judges"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1032672375440598, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}