Federal judges are discussing a proposal that would shift the armed security personnel responsible for their safety away from the DOJ and under their own control, as fears mount that the Trump administration is failing to protect them from a rising tide of hostility.
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that around 50 federal judges were kicking the idea around about two months ago at a regular judicial conference, among concerns regarding the increasing number of threats and criticisms from Trump.
The idea would involve bringing the US Marshals Service under the direct control of the head of the judiciary, Chief Justice John Roberts instead of AG Pam Bondi, Trump loyalist.
The White House provided the WSJ with a statement from the DOJ, saying that marshals would “continue to protect the safety and security of federal judges” and that any other suggestion was “absurd.”
Dem Sen. Cory Booker introduced legislation on Thursday to move US Marshal Service control from the executive to judiciary branch.
“Congress must act to move the bureau into the judicial branch. Our U.S. Marshals are critical to protecting the rule of law, and they must be able to do their jobs without political interference,” Booker stated.
Conservative Judge Michael Luttig admitted to Ali Velshi he was worried about Trump’s war on the judiciary branch and the rule of law.
“I don’t know where this ends, Ali, but it appears that, in this moment, the president intends to prosecute this war against the federal judiciary and the rule of law to its catastrophic end.”
