May 30, 2025
Federal Judges Association forms unprecedented coalition defending Article III
Federal judges organize publicly for first time to protect court authority
📜Constitutional Law📚Historical Precedent⚖️Justice
Federal judges formed an unprecedented coalition on May 30, 2025, to defend judicial independence against executive branch threats and intimidation.
Led by Chief Judge Diane Wood and conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch, the coalition represents the first time sitting federal judges have publicly organized to protect court authority against executive overreach.
On May 30, 2025, sitting federal judges led by Chief Judge Diane Wood and Judge Neil Gorsuch formed an unprecedented coalition to defend judicial independence against executive branch threats and intimidation (Topic Description).
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated 373 threats to federal judges in the first eight months of FY 2025, more than double the prior period (Question 3; 👑 Washington Post data).
On May 1, 2025, the National Judicial College spearheaded a rare cross-ideological joint statement defending judicial independence and calling on judges to decide cases free from retaliation or threats (Question 1; 👑 NJC press release).
📜Constitutional Law📚Historical Precedent⚖️Justice
People, bills, and sources
Chief Judge Diane Wood
co-leader of the May 30, 2025 coalition of federal judges publicly organized to protect court authority against executive overreach (Topic Description).
What You Can Do
1
Read Article III of the U.S. Constitution at https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution/what-does-it-say to understand the constitutional basis for life-tenured judges insulated from political pressure.
2
Review the National Judicial College’s May 1, 2025 press release at https://www.judges.org/news-and-info/national-judicial-college-joins-in-national-statement-defending-judicial-independence/ to examine the exact cross-ideological statement defending judicial independence.
3
Visit https://www.usmarshals.gov to explore the U.S. Marshals Service’s protocols for protecting Article III judges and access its annual security reports on threats and courthouse security measures.