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The former judge of the United States Supreme Court, Anthony Kennedy warned Thursday that the tone of political discourse and threats to judges are undermining the ability of the United States to serve as an example of freedom and democracy worldwide.
Kennedy, a designate from Reagan who retired in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first mandate, spoke during a virtual forum about threats to the rule of law, since he defended the role of judges in a democracy and advocated the need to protect them and their families from threats.
“Many in the rest of the world look at the United States to see what democracy is, to see what democracy should be,” Kennedy should be during the “Talk about justice” event, a day before the current judges of the Supreme Court are ready to deliver their final decisions of the current term.
“If you see a hostile and fragile speech, if you see a speech that uses identity policy instead of talking about issues, democracy is at risk. Freedom is at risk,” he continued.
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The former judge of the United States Supreme Court, Anthony Kennedy warned that the “tone of our political discourse” and threats to judges are damaging the ability of the United States to serve as an example of freedom worldwide. (Getty images)
Kennedy did not mention Trump, even when other participants expressed concern for the flood of threats and attacks against the judges to block key parts of the president's political agenda during his second term, including his immigration policies, shooting of federal workers and their implementation of broad -based tariffs.
But Kennedy's comments seemed to be caused, at least in part, by repeated attacks by the Trump administration against the judges who have governed against him, including some whom he appointed during his first term.
In March, Trump criticized the judge of the United States District Court, James Boasberg, as a “radical left lunatic” and requested his accusation after he tried to block the administration to eliminate the alleged members of Venezuelan gangs from the United States under the alien enemies law, a presidential war power that Trump invoked.
Last month, Trump attacked the judges “who hate the United States” as “monsters who want our country to go to hell.”
Trump's rhetoric has reached an increase in threats against the judges, according to Politico, although the administration spokesmen have said that the president is against any threat and that they would face the prosecution of the Department of Justice.
Kennedy, appointed by Reagan, defended the role of judges in a democracy and advocated the need to protect them and their families from threats. (Getty images)
Kennedy said that “judges must have protection for them and their families” and that “the judges are better protected when the public and our nation realize how central are for our speech.”
“We should worry in this country, as I have already indicated, the tone of our political discourse,” he said. “The identity policy is used for a person to be characterized by their partisan affiliation. That is not democracy and civil discourse.”
Other participants in the forum, which had judges from the United States and other countries that warned about how attacks against courts can threaten democracies, also pointed to Trump's statement denouncing the courts.
Not to mention Trump by name, the United States District Judge, Esther Salas, whose son was killed by a unhappy lawyer who went to his house in New Jersey in 2020, said that the misinformation about the judges was extending “from top to bottom”, with jurists attacked as “rogues” and “corrupt.”
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Kennedy's comments seemed to be provoked, at least in part, by repeated attacks by the Trump administration against judges who have governed against him. (Getty images)
“The judges are rogues. Does it sound familiar? The judges are corrupt. Does it sound familiar? The judges are monsters … the judges hate the United States,” Salas said. “We are seeing the diffusion of misinformation from top to bottom.”
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Salas warned that the number of threats registered against the judges this year was reaching historical heights in the United States, noting that the US Sheriff Service has tracked more than 400 threats against the judges since January, when Trump was inaugurated.
“We are going to break records, people and not in good sense,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
