The Department of Justice announced the arrest of Alaska man Panos Anastasiou on Wednesday after he threatened a number of Supreme Court Justices and their families with fatal violence.
"We allege that the defendant made repeated, heinous threats to murder and torture Supreme Court Justices and their families to retaliate against them for decisions he disagreed with," Attorney General Merrick Garland released in a statement Thursday. "Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear. Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families."
DOJ did not detail which Supreme Court Justices were threatened, but noted Anastasiou sent hundreds of threatening messages to the Court's official and public website. Anastasiou is "charged by indictment with nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce." He made his first court appearance this week and faces 10 years in prison per count of threatening a federal judge and five years per count on interstate commerce – totaling 155 years – if convicted.
The arrest comes two years after an attempted assassin was arrested outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Meanwhile, attacks on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court by the left, including Vice President Kamala Harris, are ongoing.
“Attacks on the legitimacy of the courts are contributing to the threat of violence against judges in general. And the same can be said with regard to the Supreme Court in particular.”https://t.co/vMQzAPc7b9
— JCN (@judicialnetwork) September 19, 2024