1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

The sharp rise in threats to federal judges and their families and the emerging confrontation between the executive and judicial branches regarding enforcement of court orders make it necessary to give the judiciary authority over the U.S. Marshals, the law enforcement agency tasked with protecting the courts. Therefore, please support S. 1873 / H.R. 3607, the MARSHALS Act, legislation that would return the U.S. Marshals to the federal judiciary from the executive branch. The Trump administration has repeatedly defied federal court orders while expressing hostility toward judges who have ruled against it over the past several months. As a result, security risks to federal judges have only intensified. A recent report highlighted a staggering 327% increase in threats against U.S. judges on social media platforms over the past year. These attacks have extended beyond the digital realm, with incidents such as bomb threats and swatting targeting judges and their families. This is absolutely unacceptable! At a time of heightened personal risk to judges, the MARSHALS Act would afford the judiciary control over its security protections. The MARSHALS Act would also reinforce judicial independence by giving federal courts the power to enforce their orders. Senator Grassley recently noted, “We’ve got a system of checks and balances.” That system relies on the executive branch following court orders, a critical foundation of our constitutional order. Congress must pass the MARSHALS Act now to preserve and save our independent judiciary. Thank you so very much for helping protect a functioning democracy!