Federal judge whose son was killed in attack says gunman targeted Sonia Sotomayor

[malaise]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/esther-salas-sonia-sotomayor-60-minutes-2021-02-19/

U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed and her husband wounded in an attack meant for her, says the gunman also had his sights on Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Salas reveals for the first time authorities found a dossier on Sotomayor in a locker used by her assailant, Roy Den Hollander, a lawyer who had a case before Salas and committed suicide after killing her son, Daniel. Salas appears in a Bill Whitaker report on the dramatic rise in the number of threats against federal judges in the U.S. to be broadcast Sunday, February 21, at 7 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.   

Her son's death sent Salas on a crusade to pass legislation that would scrub the personal information of judges off the internet. When she learned what the FBI found in the locker, she realized she was not the only one in Hollander's sights. "They found another gun, a Glock, more ammunition. But the most troubling thing they found was a manila folder with a workup on Justice Sonia Sotomayor," says Salas. She says it was chilling to see a Supreme Court member in his sights. "Who knows what could have happened? But we need to understand that judges are at risk," she tells Whitaker. "That we put ourselves in great danger every day for doing our jobs." 

Salas told 60 Minutes in the months following her son's death judges have continued to face new threats. She shared a few examples, one of them read: "'We,'" quote, 'must start killing these corrupt politicians and judges, and their families,' end quote."   

Threats to federal judges have risen 400% over the last five years to over 4,000 incidents. These include hate mail, phone harassment, protests at their homes and actual attempted murder. The U.S. Marshals, who protect federal judges, are asking for 1,000 more officers at a cost of $250 million. The new bill Salas is supporting is also asking for several million more to upgrade home security systems for judges.

Whitaker also speaks to Senior District Court Judge James Robart, whose temporary block of then-President Trump's travel ban resulted in an unprecedented 40,000 messages, including over a hundred death threats. Critics called him a "dead man walking" and posted his phone number and address on social media. President Trump then inflamed the situation by ridiculing Robart as a "so-called judge."
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Thank the white supremacist Donald Trump

[hlthe2b]

1. I've felt so badly for that woman and her husband since this story broke. To know her son was killed

because she was a judge doing her job must have just haunted her. We have to get these a'hole Trump extremists under control.

Sigh...

[malaise]

2. Teump and his terrorists have put everyone's lives in danger

I don't know what it will take to lock him up

[mopinko]

3. i was thinking about this judge seeing these magistrates overruled

and these nutjobs having their release squashed.
the fed bench knows who these idiots are, even if the local mag doesnt.

[rickyhall]

4. Gag the trump monsters

[benld74]

5. 60 minutes this Sunday

[malaise]

10. I rarely watch but I will be watching this one

[BobTheSubgenius]

6. Hear that sound?

That is the sound of a Banana Republic gaining ground.

[spanone]

7. ⭐️K&R⭐️

[ancianita]

8. Her assailant was a LAWYER?? WTF!

[FakeNoose]

12. Well he was a lawyer ... now he's a dead lawyer

Undoubtedly he died with too many guns in his possession.

[appmanga]

9. "Threats to federal judges have risen 400% over the last five years to over 4,000 incidents".

The last five years? What an interesting coincidence? If lawmakers at the Capitol were vulnerable, just think how vulnerable judges are.

[malaise]

11. Threats to governors and legislators have also gone up

in Democratic States - all from Trump terrorists

[ancianita]

13. The more we expose this in media, the less the alt-Right media can call our enforcements

"oppression" or "anti-Christian evil."

This traitorous behavior cannot be allowed to exist as an underground subculture any longer. There are too many Republicans in enforcement agencies who let this shit continue, too many sheriffs who give aid and comfort to killers in the name of their version of a 'free' America.

[malaise]

15. +1,000

This madness has to be stopped

[Ford_Prefect]

14. Thank god we live where gun owners and sellers have more rights than judges and citizens do.

It makes armed murderers much more socially acceptable, and politically correct too.

You have to wonder if they get special discounts on ammunition for buying in bulk?

[malaise]

16. Sad but true

[ancianita]

17. Thank god??

[Ford_Prefect]

18. I thought the irony and sarcasm deserved lower case. Thanks actually could be divided

between La Pierre, Trump, Dark money invested in RW paranoid fantasy propaganda, Putin's manipulations of Q, and other GOP head trips.

Depending on the text you read I doubt much that GOD had anything to do with the matter, other than apparently granting humans responsibility for their own choices and how they may be inflicted upon others.

[ancianita]

20. Ah, okay, I thought you were, but just wondered. Thanks.

[crickets]

19. Daniel's Law

Governor Murphy Signs “Daniel’s Law”
https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20201120b.shtml

“Judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers all play vital roles in keeping the public safe, but in doing so, they often jeopardize their own safety, becoming targets of vengeful criminals or litigants,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “We need to protect them as they protect all of us. This commonsense law will go a long way to ensure the privacy and security of these public servants and their families.”

“To everyone who played a role in getting this done, I thank you. However, our work does not end here. We must extend these privacy protections nationwide, so that no one lives through what Judge Salas and her husband lived through,” said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez. “We are living in a time of endless vitriol, rising hate crimes, and increased personal attacks. And while we may not be able to eliminate hatred from someone’s heart, we can take action to better protect the men and women of our federal bench. That’s why I am proud to see Governor Murphy sign Daniel’s Law here in New Jersey– and why I remain committed to the passage of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act in Washington.”

“No person who takes on the responsibility of serving as a federal judge should ever have to live in fear that they or their family could be targeted by someone who is able to easily access their personal information,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “Judge Salas and her husband, Mark, have gone through something that no parent should ever have to endure. I am grateful for the leadership of Governor Murphy, Senator Cryan, and Assemblywoman Quijano as we honor the memory of Daniel with a commitment that this should never happen again.”

S.4711 - Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2020
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/4711/text?r=3&s=1

Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020. Here's hoping this is resubmitted and passed this year.