EDITORIAL: Bill touts protection for judges
Oct. 31—On July 19, 2020, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas was at her New Jersey home, celebrating her son Daniel Anderl's 20th birthday, when the doorbell rang.
A disgruntled lawyer, disguised as a delivery driver, shot Daniel to death as he opened the door and seriously wounded the judge's husband.
The lawyer, who later died by suicide, sought vengeance on the judge because he lost a case she had handled.
But that's just one deadly scenario.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, which is responsible for protecting federal judges and courthouses, personal threats against federal judges have increased by 400% since 2015.
In 2021, 51 state and territorial attorneys general of both parties led an effort to pass the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.
It would prohibit federal agencies from publicly posting online personal identifiable information of judges and their families and prevent commercial data brokers from selling such information.
It would create grants for state and local governments to block the release of such information.
It would also increase relevant resources for the U.S. Marshals Service.
The bill stalled in the Senate because it did not include similar protections for members of Congress, who also have been subject to increasing threats.
There is no reason that Congress and the judiciary must be addressed in the same bill, however.
Congress should pass the bill, and states including Pennsylvania should follow New Jersey's lead by passing similar state-level protections.
