Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced today that he is leading a bipartisan letter, signed by 47 states, that was sent to Congressional leaders and requests increased funding for the security of federal judges, who are increasingly facing threats and hostile incidents targeting them, their families, and courthouse staff.
“As threats against federal judges reach all-time highs, Congress must take immediate action to protect our federal judges, their families, and court staff. Our experience in New Jersey—including the tragic murder of Judge Esther Salas’s son, Daniel Anderl—is a painful reminder of the critical and urgent need for this funding,” said Attorney General Platkin. “I am proud to lead a broad bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in urging Congress to provide this essential funding. And I am grateful for the immense courage of those like Judge Salas who continue to stand for justice despite the threats against them—threats that no public servant should ever have to endure.”
Funding for the Judiciary’s Court Security program has been subject to a “hard freeze” for two consecutive years, leaving inadequate resources to meet essential security needs at federal courthouses. The funding shortfall impacts court security officer salaries, visual and physical monitoring systems, and other aspects of courthouse security infrastructure.
Additional resources are also necessary to fund the Judiciary’s Vulnerability Management Program (VMP), which implements the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act. The Anderl Act, passed in 2022 with bipartisan support, honors Daniel Anderl, the son of New Jersey District Court Judge Esther Salas, who was murdered in his home in 2020 during an attempted assassination of Judge Salas. The Anderl Act prohibits data brokers from selling judges’ personally identifiable information and enables federal judges and their family members to request that businesses and government agencies remove such information from their websites.
As the letter explains, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. discussed the increased threat level facing the judiciary in his 2024 year-end report. The letter notes that these trends have continued into 2025, with more than 100 judges nationwide reporting that they have been “doxxed” with unsolicited deliveries to their homes. The deliveries were intended to intimidate judges and their relatives—and disturbingly, some were placed in the name of Daniel Anderl.
Today’s letter builds on the State of New Jersey’s leadership in protecting the security of judges and other public officials. In 2020, the New Jersey Legislature passed and Governor Phil Murphy signed New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law, which, like the federal statute, enables judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers to request that businesses and other entities stop disclosing their home addresses and unpublished home telephone numbers. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has proudly defended—and continues to defend—the law against challenges brought by a range of corporate defendants in both state and federal court.
Along with Attorney General Platkin, Attorney General Dave Sunday of Pennsylvania, Attorney General John Formella of New Hampshire, Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota, and Attorney General John B. McCuskey of West Virginia are co-leading today’s letter.
Other states and territories signing onto the letter are Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
