# US judge says he faced death threats after blocking Trump funding freeze 2026-08-05T23:14:13+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Chief US District Judge John McConnell said he faced credible death threats, harassment and intimidation after blocking parts of the Trump administration's federal funding freeze early last year, Livemint reported, citing The Washington Post. He said the US Marshals Service treated at least six threats against him as credible, and his court logged roughly 400 abusive calls and emails after activist Laura Loomer posted his daughter's photograph online, which Elon Musk then shared further. McConnell also pointed to a cancelled homeowner's insurance policy, two impeachment attempts by Republican lawmakers, and an unsolicited pizza order placed in the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas, who was killed in 2020 by an attacker posing as a delivery driver, similar deliveries reached judges in at least seven states. The White House called Trump's criticism of judges protected speech. Judiciary figures show security incidents against federal judges climbed 57% in fiscal year 2025, with tracked threats rising from 509 to 564. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Most of the detail in Livemint's account comes from McConnell himself, with Judge Esther Salas adding that criticism of judges has intensified over the past decade and that the current environment is markedly different. The White House, through spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, is the only voice on the other side, defending Trump's criticism as protected free speech and rejecting the suggestion that it encourages threats. The judiciary's own tallies of rising incidents and threat counts are the figures that do not rest on a single speaker. Separately, a special counsel report found prosecutors had withheld key information from Judge Melissa DuBose, prompting her court to question whether officials had deliberately manipulated that case to discredit her, and the court's answer is still outstanding. ## Coverage - www.livemint.com Tags: John McConnell, US Marshals Service Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/federal-judge-reveals-chilling-threats-and-intimidation-after-blocking-trump-policy/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/federal-judge-reveals-chilling-threats-and-intimidation-after-blocking-trump-policy/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.