Judge Says 'MAGA' Death Threats Targeted Him and His Family After Blocking Trump Policy

A federal judge who blocked Donald Trump's attempt to freeze federal funding has described a campaign of threats that reached beyond his courtroom and targeted his family.

US District Judge John McConnell, chief judge of the District of Rhode Island, said that the intimidation began after he challenged the administration's spending policy in 2025.

This included death threats, hostile messages and attacks aimed at relatives.

McConnell, an Obama appointee, has faced at least six death threats since 2025, when he temporarily halted the Trump administration's effort to withhold trillions of dollars in federal funding.

McConnell later found that the administration had not fully followed his order to release the money.

A federal appeals court kept his ruling in place.

Threats Follow Trump Funding Ruling

The US Marshals Service identified six threats against McConnell as credible, and his chambers received more than 400 hostile calls during the period, including messages threatening his death. The judge was given a security detail for several months as the threats continued, per The Washington Post.

The intimidation had not stopped with threatening calls and messages, as McConnell said his family was dragged into the attack after his information was shared online. Far-right activist Laura Loomer shared a photo and personal details linked to McConnell's daughter.

Elon Musk, who was then leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, also amplified Loomer's post on X (formerly Twitter), per The Daily Beast.

'I've never spoken about what's happened to me personally because I'm not looking for pity, and I'm not looking for sympathy,' McConnell stated. 'I want to be able to just do my job again, and I want to be able to uphold the Constitution. And I want the public to speak out once again and support an independent judiciary.'

During a forum hosted by the nonpartisan judicial advocacy group Speak Up for Justice, the judges warned that hostility towards the courts had reached an intensity rarely seen throughout their decades in public service. The judges urged government leaders at all levels to take joint action against the threats, stating such intimidation was weakening respect for the rule of law while putting judges and their families at risk.

'It's just been stunning to me how much damage has been done to the reputation of our judiciary because some political actors think that they can gain some advantage by attacking the independence of the judiciary,' Judge John Coughenour said.

Family Become Targets in Chilling Attacks

One incident was especially disturbing to McConnell because of its reference to another federal judge's murdered son.

An unsolicited pizza was delivered to his home using the name of Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of Judge Esther Salas, who was killed in 2020 after a gunman went to the judge's home.

Similar deliveries were reported by other judges and were viewed as possible intimidation because they appeared to signal that the judges' addresses were known.

McConnell also said one credible threat referred to his wife, Sara Shea McConnell, while the attacks involving his daughter had a particularly painful effect. He has indicated that criticism is part of serving as a federal judge, but his family had no role in his decisions.

The Marshals Service investigated threats involving 297 judges between October and mid-June, with nearly 200 cases recorded between early March and late May. Judges said the increase came as Trump and his allies repeatedly attacked members of the judiciary over rulings involving his administration.