U.S. Virgin Islands — V.I. Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea joined a bipartisan letter, signed by 42 attorneys general, that was sent today to Congressional leaders and requests increased funding for the security of federal judges, who are increasingly facing threats and hostile incidents targeting them, their families, and courthouse staff.
“Ensuring the safety of our federal judges is essential to preserving the integrity of our justice system,” said Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea. “When judges and their families are threatened, our democracy is threatened. Congress must act swiftly to provide the resources needed to strengthen courthouse security and protect those who serve the public with fairness and courage.”
Funding for the Judiciary’s Court Security program has been subject to a “hard freeze” for two consecutive years, leaving inadequate resources to meet essential security needs at federal courthouses. The funding shortfall implicates court security officer salaries, visual and physical monitoring systems, and other aspects of courthouse security infrastructure.
Additional resources are also necessary to fund the Judiciary’s Vulnerability Management Program (VMP), which implements the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act. The Anderl Act, passed in 2022 with bipartisan support, honors Daniel Anderl, the son of New Jersey District Court Judge Esther Salas, who was murdered in his home in 2020 during an attempted assassination of Judge Salas. The Anderl Act prohibits data brokers from selling judges’ personally identifiable information and enables federal judges and their family members to request that businesses and government agencies remove such information from their websites.
As the letter explains, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. discussed the increased threat level facing the judiciary in his 2024 year-end report. The letter notes that these trends have continued into 2025, with more than 100 judges nationwide reporting that they have been “doxxed” with unsolicited deliveries to their homes. The deliveries were intended to intimidate judges and their relatives—and disturbingly, some were placed in the name of Daniel Anderl.
The letter was co-led by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, Attorney General of New Hampshire John Formella, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey.
In addition to the U.S. Virgin Islands, signing onto the letter are Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The full letter is attached here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2025
Sandra Goomansingh
Media Relations Director
(340) 774-5666 ext. 10105
Email: sandra.goomansingh@doj.vi.gov