Federal judges across the United States have reported a significant rise in threats and harassment, with some building safe rooms at home and others limiting family activities, according to a report by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Threats to the federal judiciary have increased substantially since 2024, with the 2025 fiscal year seeing a 57 percent increase in security incidents, the US Marshals Service said. The Brennan Center surveyed 35 sitting and retired judges, many of whom requested anonymity.

One judge installed a safe room after receiving more than 700 threatening phone calls following a contentious immigration case, while another said he avoided grocery shopping and missed his grandchild’s recital due to a 24/7 security detail. Threats have included swatting incidents, pizza deliveries with threatening notes, and hate mail. In July, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan reported that Supreme Court Police expected a 38 percent increase in threats to justices in 2026, after a 25 percent rise in 2025. The annual average of threats and hostile communications toward judges, prosecutors, judicial staff and courts rose from 1,180 in the decade before Donald Trump’s first campaign to 3,810 in the seven years afterward, according to a Reuters analysis. US District Judge William G. Young said he had never experienced an executive branch so openly hostile to the judiciary.

Since Trump returned to office, more than 850 lawsuits have been filed challenging administration policies, and judges have blocked over 150 of those policies, according to the Brennan Center. While immigration cases have become the most frequent source of threats recently, judges noted that threats were previously concentrated on January 6‑related cases.

Many judges expressed concern for their families, with some limiting children’s social media use, altering home routes, and requesting additional security. Some have paid out‑of‑pocket for home protection, and courthouse security funding remained flat between fiscal years 2023 and 2025 before Congress raised the budget from $750 million to $892 million in February. The administration has reassigned some US Marshals from judicial protection to other duties, raising fears of further resource cuts.

Supreme Court officials are reportedly developing an internal police force, according to a colleague of the reporter, as the justices continue to rule in favor of the administration while expressing concerns about their personal safety.

Judges told the Brennan Center they would not let external pressure affect their rulings, but many said they are uncertain how long they can continue serving under the current threat level, and some have considered early retirement.