Judge John McConnell received death threats after blocking Trump funding freeze
Threats against federal judges rose 57% in 2025, with McConnell targeted after ruling against the administration
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Judge John McConnell received death threats after blocking Trump funding freeze
Photograph: The Daily Beast (embedded from source)
What this story says
- U.S. District Judge John McConnell received at least six credible death threats after blocking the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding in 2025, as reported by The Washington Post and corroborated by the US Marshals Service.
- Threats against federal judges rose 57% in fiscal year 2025, with 564 recorded threats, up from 509 the previous year, according to figures cited by the judiciary.
- McConnell described an unordered pizza delivery to his home addressed to Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas, who was killed in 2020, as the most disturbing incident.
- The White House defended Trump’s criticism of judges as protected free speech, while McConnell and other judges warned of escalating hostility linked to rulings against the administration.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
82/100
Craft
68/100
Hype
21/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell disclosed that he received at least six credible death threats after issuing a temporary block on the Trump administration’s freeze on federal funding in 2025. The threats were part of a broader pattern of harassment targeting judges who ruled against the administration, as reported by The Washington Post and corroborated by the US Marshals Service.
McConnell described an unordered pizza delivery to his Rhode Island home, addressed to Daniel Anderl, the son of New Jersey Judge Esther Salas. Anderl was shot and killed in 2020 by a disgruntled lawyer targeting his mother. McConnell said the delivery was the most disturbing incident he experienced, calling Salas immediately after receiving it. Similar deliveries were later reported by judges in at least seven states.
The harassment extended to online attacks, including a doxxing campaign targeting McConnell’s daughter after far-right activist Laura Loomer posted her photograph on social media. The post was amplified by Elon Musk, who at the time led the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. McConnell’s courthouse received around 400 threatening calls and emails, with some threats directed at his wife and others seeking his home address on the dark web.
Security incidents involving federal judges rose 57% in fiscal year 2025, according to figures cited by the judiciary. The US Marshals Service recorded 564 threats against federal judges during the year, up from 509 the previous year. McConnell said all three federal judges in Rhode Island had received threats linked to rulings involving the executive branch over the past 18 months.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests or the full report mentioned the specific dollar amount of the federal funding freeze McConnell blocked, though Live Mint described it as “trillions of dollars.” The left-rated digests did not include the two impeachment attempts by Republican lawmakers or the cancellation of McConnell’s homeowner’s insurance, details carried in Live Mint’s full report.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 6 Aug 2026, 03:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- The six left-rated digests led on the death threats against McConnell and the broader pattern of intimidation targeting judges who ruled against the Trump administration. Five of the six digests mentioned the six credible death threats, while four cited the 57% rise in security incidents against federal judges in 2025. Three digests highlighted the unordered pizza delivery referencing Daniel Anderl, with The Daily Beast and Raw Story quoting McConnell’s line: “I don’t think anything disturbed me as much as that did.”
- USA Today and The Washington Post’s digests described McConnell’s experience as emblematic of the climate facing judges who rule against the administration. Raw Story’s digest emphasised the sinister nature of the pizza delivery, while nj and lehighvalleylive focused on the death threats as the central detail. None of the left-rated digests omitted the White House’s defence of Trump’s criticism of judges as protected free speech.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- Live Mint, the only centre-rated outlet to run the story, published a full report that led on the death threats, harassment, and intimidation McConnell faced after blocking the Trump administration’s funding freeze. The report detailed the six credible death threats, the doxxing of McConnell’s daughter, and the two impeachment attempts by Republican lawmakers. It also quoted McConnell’s statement that the intimidation reflects a broader pattern facing judges who ruled against the administration.
- Live Mint’s report included the unordered pizza delivery, the 400 threatening calls to McConnell’s courthouse, and the dark web posts seeking his home address. It also cited the 57% rise in security incidents against federal judges and the 564 threats recorded by the US Marshals Service in 2025. The report quoted McConnell’s criticism of the Department of Homeland Security for labelling a fellow judge an “activist Biden judge” and publishing a list of judges it called the “Worst of the Worst.”
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Read it at the source
7 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
6- Judge reveals credible death threats after Trump ruling (opens lehighvalleylive in a new tab)
lehighvalleylive
- Judge reveals credible death threats after Trump ruling (opens nj in a new tab)
- Judge Reveals MAGA Death Threats After Ruling Against Trump (opens The Daily Beast in a new tab)
The Daily Beast — is The Daily Beast biased? Our profile of this outlet
- This federal judge ruled against Trump. Then the threats began. (opens USA Today in a new tab)
- Sinister deliveries and death threats hound judge each time he rules against Trump: report (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- This federal judge ruled against Trump. Then the threats began. (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
1Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
