U.S. judges warn of rising threats in Trump era

05:01 |

The Daily Docket

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Caitlin Tremblay

Good morning. A group of federal judges is expected to speak out against the rising number of threats they've faced in the Trump era. Plus, Democratic states will ask a judge to block Trump cuts to gender-affirming care for youth; the U.S. customs agency is due to provide its second report on the status of a system for refunding $166 billion in tariffs; and the U.S. Supreme Court will honor the late Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. For the first time in more than 40 years, rhinos are back in Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park (yes we have photos). Let's dive into Thursday.

U.S. judges to speak out against rising number of threats in Trump era

REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger

A group of federal judges are slated to speak publicly at an event about threats they and their colleagues have received, including when they have ruled against parts of President Trump's agenda.

The speakers include U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, who blocked the administration's plan to end legal protections for Haitians, and U.S. District Judge Mark Norris, a Tennessee judge who recently recused himself from the case against five former Memphis police officers convicted in connection with Tyre Nichols' death after one of his law clerks was shot.

Threats against judges have been a rising concern during Trump's second term. The president, who, along with his allies, have described judges who have ruled against his administration as "activists," "crooked," "conflicted" and "rogue." Last July another group of federal judges spoke out publicly about receiving death threats and mysterious pizza deliveries in the name of a judge's murdered son after they issued decisions blocking major parts of Trump's agenda.

A Reuters report in May examined how several judges who ruled against Trump were subjected to threats and harassment along with their families. Read that Special Report here.

Coming up today

LGBTQ+: U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubha in Oregon will hear arguments in a lawsuit by Democratic-led states challenging efforts by the Trump administration to adopt rules that would cut transgender children's access to gender-affirming care.
Immigration: U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel in Minneapolis will hold a motion hearing in a lawsuit alleging that DHS and ICE practices in Minnesota denied detained immigrants access to lawyers. Read the TRO here.
Tariffs: The U.S. customs agency is due to provide its second report to a federal trade judge on the status of a system for refunding $166 billion in tariffs imposed by President Trump that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in February. An hour after the report is due, the court is holding a closed-door conference on the customs agency's efforts.
SCOTUS: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to honor the late Justice Sandra Day O'Connor with a meeting of the Supreme Court's bar, followed by a special sitting of the court. The bar meeting, which will be livestreamed on the court's website, will feature remarks by lower court judges and other officials, including U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer. Later, Chief Justice John Roberts will make remarks on behalf of the court during a special session.
Securities: SEC Chair Paul Atkins is scheduled to speak at the annual "SEC Speaks" gathering in D.C. along with fellow commissioners.
Finance: U.S. banking regulators will meet to consider new proposed rules to implement the so-called "Basel Endgame" on risk-based capital. The new proposal is expected to be significantly more sympathetic to industry concerns, and could lower their capital requirements.
Criminal: Alleged Mexican drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero is due to appear in U.S. court for a status conference.

Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.

More top news

"Trademarks exist to protect consumers and businesses. They do not exist to silence objectors to a governmental administration."

—U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin in a letter to USPTO Director John Squires. Raskin accused the USPTO of helping obscure who controls and profits from President Trump's Board ‌of Peace. Read the letter here.

$15,000

That's how much the Trump administration will require citizens from 50 countries to post in bonds for a B1 or B2 visa for business and tourism. Twelve new countries were added to the list, a State Department official said on Wednesday.

In the courts

IP: BMG sued AI startup Anthropic in California federal court for allegedly using its copyrighted lyrics, including songs by Bruno Mars and the Rolling Stones, to train the large language models powering its chatbot Claude. Read the complaint.
Antitrust: Google convinced U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging Canadian consumers for Android apps and other purchases within the Google Play store, ruling that U.S. antitrust law does not reach the alleged harms. Read the decision.
Employment: U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland in Chicago said two former McDonald's vice presidents can proceed with their lawsuit that they were criticized and subjected to racial slurs because they are Black women, and then forced out of the company for complaining. Read the ruling.

Attorney Analysis

Edward Lanquist and Benjamin West Janke of Baker Donelson examine 2025 copyright decisions addressing AI training and fair use, highlighting judicial concerns over piracy and market harm. Read today's Attorney Analysis.

Additional writing by Shruthi Krishnamurthy.

Contact

Caitlin Tremblay

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

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