The destruction of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s home in a fiery inferno over the weekend immediately led to speculation that it was an act of political violence. South Carolina officials are still investigating, and they said on Monday that “there is no evidence to indicate” that the cause of the explosion “was intentionally set.” But it says something about this moment that a judge being violently targeted was so easy to imagine.
According to annual data compiled by the U.S. Marshals Service, there has been an increase in threats against federal judges since Trump retook office. Judges have also reported receiving unsolicited pizzas delivered to their personal residences, including some in the name of the murdered son of a New Jersey federal judge. A judge close t