Very Ugly': Federal Judge Who Defied Trump Tells 60 Minutes He's Never Encountered Vitriol Like MAGA Fury

"After Coughenour ruled Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship to be blatantly unconstitutional, the judge said the threats started pouring in. Coughenour told a story about being confronted by five sheriff's deputies with long rifles who were called to his home on a tip he had murdered his wife. It was a cruel hoax, Whitaker said, adding that the next day, Coughenour received a bomb threat."

"There was a congressman that had a wanted' poster, Coughenour said. It just said wanted' in big letters at the top, and then a picture of several of us. It said everything except dead or alive. Coughenour called the intimidation very, very ugly, adding that he has received dozens if not hundreds of death threats."

"I've been at this for 44 years, Coughenour said of his career on the bench. I have never encountered the hostility toward the judiciary that has existed in this country in the last year. And I don't think it's because we're making bad decisions. I think it's because there are people who think that they can make a lot of political hay out of criticizing the federal judiciary."

Federal Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, ruled against President Trump's executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship. Following this decision, Coughenour experienced severe threats and intimidation, including a false murder accusation that brought armed sheriff's deputies to his home, bomb threats, and wanted posters featuring his image. He reported receiving dozens to hundreds of death threats related to this case. Despite a 44-year judicial career that included sentencing Al Qaeda bombers and militia members, Coughenour stated he had never encountered such hostility toward the judiciary. He attributed the vitriol not to poor judicial decisions but to political actors exploiting criticism of federal courts for political advantage.

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