Threats Increase, But System to Protect Judges Falters

Data obtained and analyzed by Bloomberg Law show that federal judges and their families are facing an increasing number of violent threats. But the federal agency charged with keeping judges safe doesn't have the tools it needs to face this growing problem.

The US Marshals Service has an outdated system for collecting and tracking threats against judges, according to former Marshals Service employees. This makes it harder than it should be to prevent attacks.

Lydia Wheeler and Gary Harki, a reporter and editor at Bloomberg Law, respectively, did a deep dive into this problem and into Congress's failure to allocate funding to upgrade the system. They join our weekly podcast, On The Merits, to discuss the effect this is having on judges and why many are being told to take their personal security into their own hands.

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