A federal judge whose son was murdered by a disgruntled lawyer in their family home has said that the plot to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is further proof that judges need better protection.
US District Judge Esther Salas told Fox News’ America Reports on Wednesday that “enough is enough” and called on Congress to pass a bill to bolster security for federal judges and limit the amount of personal information available about public officials online.
“I think that members of Congress can see the escalation in the numbers of threats against judicial officers,”she said.
“It’s just got to stop.”
Judge Salas’ 20-year-old son Daniel Anderl was shot and killed at their family home in New Jersey back in 2020 in a racially motivated attack by “antifeminist” lawyer Roy Den Hollander.
The gunman had found the federal judge’s address online and travelled to it, posing as a FedEx delivery driver before opening fire on her family.
Judge Salas’ husband Mark Anderl was also shot in the attack but survived.
The judge escaped unscathed as she was in the basement of their home at the time.
Hollander was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound days later.
Following the targeted attack, New Jersey passed a state law – Daniel’s Law – making it a crime to post the addresses or phone numbers of judges, prosecutors, or law enforcement officers and their families online.
Since then, the federal judge has been pushing for the federal government to enact a similar law – the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act.
She doubled down on her calls on Wednesday after 26-year-old Nicholas Roske was arrested and charged with the attempted murder of Justice Kavanaugh.
“The fact of the matter is, I do have to say that the rule of law is not different for Republicans. The rule of law is not different for Democrats,” she told Fox on Wednesday.
“The rule of law is what this country has been founded on, and we as judges, our democracy, it mandates that we pass the Daniel Anderl bill and do it now.”
She added: “Enough is enough.”
Mr Roske found Justice Kavanaugh’s address online and travelled from his home in California to the property in Chevy Chase, Maryland, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The suspect had allegedly called 911 at around 1.40am on Wednesday saying he had travelled to kill a specific Supreme Court justice and then kill himself.
Officers responded to the scene and found Mr Roske near Mr Kavanaugh’s residence, still on the phone to the emergency dispatcher, said officials.
The suspect was found in possession of a backpack and a suitcase at the scene, which contained a black tactical chest rig, tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdriver, nail punch, crowbar, pistol light, duct tape, hiking boots with padding on the outside of the soles, and other items.
Following his arrest, the suspect told investigators that he was angry with the conservative justice over the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would strike down Roe v Wade, overturning the landmark ruling that gave Americans a right to abortion access.
If Roe is overturned, abortion will be effectively banned across almost half of the US.
The suspect also allegedly voiced his anger towards the conservative justice around gun control, referring to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 young students and two teachers were shot and killed last month.
Mr Roske said he believed Mr Kavanaugh would “side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws” across the country, according to the complaint.
Hours after his arrest, he appeared in court charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court Justice.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The incident comes as protesters have gathered outside the homes of justices following the leak of the majority opinion that could strike down Roe v Wade and at a time when lawmakers are poised to vote on funding additional security for Supreme Court justices, court officers and their immediate family members.
The White House condemned the threat on Wednesday and said the Biden administration supports passing legislation to increase security for the Supreme Court and its justices.
“As the president has consistently made clear, public officials – including judges – must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety or that of their families,” according to a statement from White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates.
“And any violence, threats of violence, or attempts to intimidate justices have no place in our society.”
