Senate Sparks Tensions: Booker and Cruz Clash Over Threats to US Judges in Fiery Debate

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee was plunged into heated debate on Tuesday as Senators Cory Booker and Ted Cruz clashed over the surge in threats directed at federal court judges during President Donald Trump’s second term. The confrontation unfolded against a backdrop of mounting tensions between the executive branch and the judiciary, with federal judges issuing a record number of injunctions to block or delay the president’s executive actions.

The hearing, pointedly titled "The Supposedly Least Dangerous Branch: District Judges v. Trump," began with Chair Ted Cruz sharply criticizing his Democratic colleagues for what he called “utter silence” regarding threats made toward judges under the Biden administration. Cruz highlighted protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh ahead of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, emphasizing what he saw as a double standard in Democrats’ responses to judicial threats.

Booker responded forcefully, calling Cruz’s accusation “absolutely absurd” and accusing the subcommittee chair of fanning partisan flames. He reminded the panel that Democrats had previously condemned threats against justices and joined Republicans in bipartisan legislation to increase security for federal judges. “To say things like that just feeds the partisanship in this institution, and it feeds the fiery rhetoric. And it’s just plain not true,” Booker admonished.

The exchange quickly escalated into a testy back-and-forth, with Cruz repeatedly demanding answers about the Biden Justice Department’s response to illegal protests outside judges’ homes. He cited U.S.C. Section 1507, which prohibits picketing intended to influence or intimidate federal judges, and criticized the Justice Department for failing to prosecute offenders. Booker, growing visibly frustrated, insisted that both parties had acted to ensure judicial safety and denounced Cruz for interrupting his responses. “I did not interrupt you, sir. I would appreciate it if you would let me finish,” Booker exclaimed, raising his voice as Cruz laughed off his concerns.

Booker continued, arguing, “I am sick and tired of hearing the kind of heated partisan rhetoric, which is one of the reasons why we have such divisions in this country." He shifted the focus to what he described as attacks by President Trump himself against judges, stating, “The attacks we see from the president of the United States of America, trolling and dragging judges through is what we should be talking about.” Booker firmly rejected the suggestion that Democrats had remained silent in the face of threats to justices, calling it "a patent lie."

The acrimony between Cruz and Booker underscored deeper divisions over how to address threats to judicial independence in an increasingly polarized political climate. As the exchange devolved further, Cruz jabbed that Booker, whom he nicknamed “Spartacus,” had dodged his central question about enforcing laws protecting judges, declaring for the record that Booker had not answered directly.

This contentious hearing comes at a time when threats against federal judges have spiked dramatically. Since Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. Marshals Service has investigated more than 370 threats against members of the federal bench, already approaching the total number reported throughout 2024. The surge in threats mirrors the intensifying legal battles over the president’s executive orders, with hundreds of lawsuits challenging major policy changes across the nation.

Democratic senators seized the occasion to urge the Justice Department and FBI to step up investigations, not only into explicit threats but also into more subtle forms of intimidation, such as the recent spate of anonymous “pizza deliveries” to judges’ homes—a tactic used to signal that their home addresses have been discovered.

The high-profile standoff in the Senate not only spotlighted the personal animosities and partisan fissures within Congress, but also highlighted the escalating dangers faced by federal judges amid an era of unprecedented political litigation and growing hostility towards the judiciary.