In an unprecedented effort, the right has decided to attack judges in America, even going so far as to threaten violence.
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX): "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior" ("DeLay: Judges will answer for Schiavo actions", New York Times, 4/01/05)
Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) Chief of Staff: "I'm a radical! I'm
a real extremist. I don't want to impeach judges. I want to impale them" ("In Contempt of Courts", The Nation, 4/11/05)
Pat Robertson, Christian Broadcasting Network: God "will remove judges from the Supreme Court quickly" (Media Matters, 1/04/05)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) Said Judge Killings Might Be Understandable.
"And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the
perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making
political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds
up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage
in, engage in violence." ("Senator Links Violence to 'Political'
Decisions", Washington Post, 4/01/05)
DeLay: "We set up the courts. We can unset the courts. We have the power of the purse" ("2 Evangelicals Want to Strip Courts' Funds", LA Times, 4/22/05)
James Dobson, Focus On The Family: "They don't have to fire
anybody or impeach them or go through that battle. All they have to do
is say the 9th Circuit doesn't exist anymore, and it's gone." ("2 Evangelicals Want to Strip Courts' Funds", LA Times, 4/22/05)
Dobson Compared America's Judges to the Klan: "I heard a
minister the other day talking about the great injustice and evil of
the men in white robes, the Ku Klux Klan, that roamed the country in
the South, and they did great wrong to civil rights and to morality.
And now we have black-robed men, and that's what you're talking about."
(Media Matters, 4/11/05)
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council: "There's more than one
way to skin a cat, and there's more than one way to take a black robe
off the bench" ("2 Evangelicals Want to Strip Courts' Funds", LA Times, 4/22/05)
Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) will appear on 'Justice Sunday' with Dobson and Perkins:
""Justice Sunday" at Highview Baptist Church, organized by the
conservative Family Research Council, will feature a videotaped speech
by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist" ("'Justice Sunday' Event Sparking
Protests", AP, 4/22/05)
This is creating a climate of fear for America's judges.
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor: "I think it
energizes people who are a little off base to take actions that maybe
they wouldn't otherwise take." ("The War On Judges", Newsweek, 4/25/05)
New Requests for Protection: "The U.S. Supreme Court asked
for more police on Tuesday, citing recent attacks on judges and the
need for more visible patrols to thwart terrorists." ("US top court seeks more money for police security", Reuters, 4/12/05)
