As former President Trump\u2019s legal problems mount, he is frequently lashing out at a familiar target: judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has taken aim at the judge overseeing the civil case involving the writer E. Jean Carroll, deriding him as a \u201cClinton-appointed judge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The former president has also claimed the judge handling the hush money case brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg \u201chates\u201d him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not a new tactic for Trump, who throughout his presidency would question the motives or legitimacy of court rulings. But it is notable at a time when his 2024 campaign for the White House has included vows for \u201cretribution\u201d for those who feel they have been wronged by the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Trump was indicted in Manhattan for his alleged role in a hush money scheme during the 2016 campaign, the former president wasted little time painting the New York state judge in the case as partisan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump posted multiple times about Judge Juan Merchan on his Truth Social platform, referring to him as a \u201cTrump Hating Judge,\u201d and claiming Merchan \u201cHATES ME.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When asked about the comments, Trump\u2019s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said he had no reason to question Merchan\u2019s credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More recently, Trump has taken aim at federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, who oversaw the civil case brought against Trump by Carroll, the writer who alleged the former president raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis Clinton appointed Judge, Lewis Kaplan, hated President Donald J. Trump more than is humanly possible,\u201d Trump posted after a jury found him liable for defamation and sexual abuse. \u201cHe is a terrible person, completely biased, and should have RECUSED himself when asked to do so. He quickly refused! This case should never have been allowed to be tried in this completely partisan venue, perhaps the worst for me in the Nation!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previously, Trump has lambasted the judge who oversaw the Paul Manafort case, derided some jurists who ruled against him as \u201cObama judges\u201d and suggested a judge\u2019s Mexican heritage meant he was potentially biased against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attacks have alarmed the legal community, where observers have noted that Trump has a team of lawyers who can seek to fight any number of the decisions he has deemed unfair, rights available to any defendant but much more feasible for him than most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIrresponsible attacks in social media, that are based on misinformation or untruths or merely designed for partisan gain \u2026 do damage to our justice system. They undermine the rule of law and the system we have in place to provide justice for all,\u201d said Marcy Kahn, who spent more than 30 years on the bench and now is the head of the New York City bar\u2019s Task Force on the Rule of Law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a huge cost to the people who are caught up in this and who are the focus of the untrue statements. And this is really, really dangerous when there is no effort to be restrained about it, and when the person speaking has great influence over a great number of people who, for whatever reason, feel aggrieved and angry and are looking for some target to displace their anger on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judges, like all government officials, have seen an increase in threatening communications in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The number of threats against federal judges hit about 4,500 in 2021, following the Jan. 6 riot and claims the election was stolen. Those figures jumped again in 2022, to more than 5,000, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which tracks both threats and inappropriate communications against federal judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahn noted that Merchan and his family received death threats after Trump criticized him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The episode also disrupted the entire courthouse, requiring officers to provide \u200b\u200b\u201cextra security to all affected staff members.\u201d Bragg\u2019s office later chose to remove staff bios from their website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separately, a bomb threat interrupted the beginning of proceedings for the $250 million civil litigation brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against the Trump Organization as well as the Trump family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Susan Kohlmann, president of the New York City bar, said the disruptions go far beyond one case or one courthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do think we need to think about the future, and I think there are people who would consider being a judge, being a juror, being any part of the court system, who are going to think twice in the face of very, very serious threats to them and their families,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Trump pursues another White House term, he has grown increasingly aggressive in his pledge to dismantle the \u201cdeep state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn 2016, I declared, \u2018I am your voice,\u2019\u201d Trump said in a March speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference. \u201cToday, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Trump\u2019s rhetoric and disregard for the norms around the justice system alarm Democrats and may dissuade some independents from voting for him, only a small number of Republicans have raised it as a potential issue in a primary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asa Hutchinson, a 2024 presidential candidate and one of the few Republican governors to criticize Trump while he held the Arkansas office until earlier this year, argued in a recent CNN interview that voters should take into account Trump\u2019s legal problems and attacks on the judiciary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s remarkable about the United States of America is our rule of law and our justice system. It\u2019s the envy of the world,\u201d Hutchinson said. \u201cAnd we can\u2019t have leaders that undermine it and disrespect it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s not uncommon for people involved in the legal system to vent their frustrations, but few do it as visibly \u2014 and to such a wide audience \u2014 as Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit unseemly for the judges to respond. And if it\u2019s a response by a judge on a pending case, then it raises issues about their fairness,\u201d said Bruce Green, a law professor at Fordham University and an expert in legal ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo they try to appear to be above the fray, even though deep down in their hearts they may be, you know, personally stung. They\u2019re not supposed to go on TV and defend themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It often falls to bar associations such as the New York City bar to respond, calling for respect for the legal system when the judicial system or judges are attacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has seen his speech restricted in one case; Merchan agreed to a request from Bragg\u2019s team to bar Trump from posting any evidence in the case on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump wishes happy Memorial Day to those fighting \u2018misfits and lunatic thugs\u2019 within the nation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WSJ: DeSantis would benefit from a little humor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he remains free to discuss the case itself on social media, including his opinions on the judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to see an upside to making the judge angry at you, right? And nobody likes to be criticized,\u201d Green said. \u201cI suppose he\u2019s playing in more than one court. He\u2019s also playing in the court of public opinion. And that\u2019s in part because he\u2019s running for president, and so he\u2019s raising funds for his campaign. So he may not be thinking strategically, \u2018What\u2019s the best way to approach the trial?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe he\u2019s counting on the fact that the judge can\u2019t take it out on him. So maybe he\u2019s just thinking, \u2018Well, the trial is irrelevant. What I do in the media is not going to impact the trial, but it sure may impact my campaign and my fundraising. So that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to think about.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n