From the Bench to the Box:
The Chilling Undercurrents Behind Late-Night Deliveries
- A Dead Son’s Name, a Chilling Message: Hundreds of anonymous pizza deliveries have been sent to the homes of federal judges—including some in the name of Judge Esther Salas’s murdered son—signaling a new form of personal intimidation.
- Judges in the Crosshairs: Many recipients are presiding over cases tied to the Trump administration, and some reports suggest that Supreme Court justices and judges’ children have also been targeted.
- Durbin’s Call for an Investigation: In a letter obtained by USA Herald, Sen. Dick Durbin calls on the DOJ and FBI to investigate the disturbing trend, safeguard judicial independence, and halt any planned reductions to the U.S. Marshals Service workforce.
By Samuel Lopez – USA Herald
WASHINGTON, D.C. – It reads like the opening of a political thriller—but this is no work of fiction. In a striking escalation of judicial intimidation, hundreds of unsolicited pizzas have been delivered to the homes of federal judges, including some bearing the name of Daniel Anderl—the late son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who was tragically murdered in 2020 by a disgruntled litigant posing as a deliveryman.
Now, Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Sen. Richard J. Durbin is demanding answers—and action.
In a May 6 letter addressed to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, Durbin decried the deliveries as “threats intended to show that those seeking to intimidate the targeted judge know the judge’s address or their family members’ addresses.” According to Durbin, some of the deliveries appear to be directed at judges overseeing legal matters tied to the Trump administration—suggesting a disturbing political undertone.
However, critics of Senator Durbin argue that the very atmosphere he now condemns was largely cultivated by the inflammatory rhetoric of his own party. Prominent Democratic figures—most notably Rep. Maxine Waters—have publicly called on supporters to “hit the streets” and “fight back” against the Trump administration, contributing to a climate of political hostility.
Durbin himself has been accused of fueling division, not only between the administration and its opponents, but also between the tens of millions of Americans who voted for Donald Trump and his policy agenda. “Since taking office 72 days ago, the Trump Administration has created chaos on our economy,” Durbin declared at the time. “Donald Trump’s ill-conceived, foolish trade war with one of our top allies is the latest example of his continued pain for Americans’ wallets,” said Durbin.
