A Nevada judge was attacked in a courtroom. How common are these attacks?

Hanna Seariac
·3 min read
6
In this image from video provided by the Clark County (Nevada) District Court, a defendant identified by court officials and records as Deobra Redden is seen launching over the desk of Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing in a felony battery case on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Las Vegas. Authorities say the judge suffered minor injuries while a courtroom marshal suffered a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder.

A Nevada judge sustained some injuries but was not hospitalized after an attack in the courtroom on Wednesday morning.

Courtroom footage showed Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus recoiling as a defendant leaped over the judge’s bench. The video obtained by 8 News Now showed the defendant attacking the judge and court officials swiftly stepping in.

A statement from court information officer Mary Ann Price indicated that a court marshal “sustained injuries and has been transported to the hospital,” after the incident.

“Our understanding is that he is in stable condition,” the statement continued. “We commend the heroic acts of her staff, law enforcement, and all others who subdued the defendant.”

The defendant, Deobra Delone Redden, was being sentenced in connection to a charge of attempted battery causing substantial bodily harm, according to Price’s statement.

Redden’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment from the Deseret News.

Online records from the Clark County jail show Redden was arrested on charges of battery on a protected person and intimidation of a public officer among others.

While attacks on judges are rare, NPR reported that “the majority of such acts against judges occur outside the courthouse.”

In this image from video provided by the Clark County District Court, Judge Mary Kay Holthus is seen cradling her head after a defendant launched over her desk during his sentencing in a felony battery case, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024 in Las Vegas. Authorities say the judge suffered minor injuries n the attack while a courtroom marshal suffered a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder. | Clark County District Court via Associated Press

“In 2021, there were more than 4,500 threats and other potentially dangerous interactions toward judges, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects federal judges, among other duties. Since 1979, four federal judges have been murdered,” Diba Mohtasham wrote for NPR.

This research showed an increase in attacks on judges, according to Ronald Davis, director of the U.S. Marshals Service, who told Reuters the risk of threats to judges is “growing exponentially.”

“The number of substantiated threats against federal judges climbed in recent years from 178 in 2019 to 311 in 2022, according to data obtained from the Marshals Service through a Freedom of Information Act request,” Bloomberg News reported. “In the first three months of 2023 there were more than 280 threats. The number of threats and inappropriate communications against all judiciary employees, however, dropped slightly last year.”