U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton, who sided with the U.S. Justice Department this week in a ruling against Arizona’s immigration bill, has been receiving threats since she issued her decision.
“She has been inundated,” said U.S. Marshal for Arizona David Gonzales, according to The Arizona Republic.
Gonzales described the judge as “tough as nails” and said he has been speaking with her daily. He indicated federal agents take the threats seriously, but said most of the hate mail came from people who were frustrated over her decision.
“About 99.9 percent of the inappropriate comments are people venting,” Gonzales said. “They are exercising their First Amendment rights, and a lot of it is perverted. But it’s that 0.1 percent that goes over the line that we are taking extra seriously.”
Gonzalez said that marshals would increase their security presence at the courthouse, but would not discuss specific security enhancements.
The U.S. Marshals Service has a policy of not commenting on protection details they may or may not have in place, said Jeff Carter, a spokesman for the Marshals Service.
The threats against Bolton fit into a wider nationwide pattern of increased threats against judges. Improper communications and threats to federal prosecutors and federal judges more than doubled during the mid-2000’s, according to an Office of the Inspector General report released earlier this year.
In an interview in May, U.S. Marshals Service Director John Clark said the increased number of threats against judges was related to the wide availability of information about judges and the publication of their decisions on the Internet.
“In today’s world, there are more individuals who are more prone to threatening judges. I think a lot of it has to do with the availability of information with the use of technology and the Internet. Individuals can find out more about particular cases and judges decisions. They can use Internet sources to find out more about the judge. So if someone is prone to want to threaten someone, there are a number of ways they can find material about a judge,” Clark said.
Clark said the U.S. Marshals has strengthened their already close relationship with the judiciary, and increased awareness about the importance of reporting any problems.
“Whenever I travel, I meet with chief judges and district judges and U.S. attorneys to make sure that they have my number, they know how to get a hold of me, and that we are available to them on short notice,” Clark said.
