With the effort of the Democrats to hold onto power for the last few years, we’re seeing the unraveling of a lot of the assumed norms of our Constitutional republic.

It used to be understood that as a politician you don’t comment on a pending case, much less try to influence that case. We’ve seen that go out the window with the Democrats. We also would think it was a well-understood norm that you don’t march on the homes of federal judges or try to force them to change their decisions. But here we are with Democrats like White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, encouraging this, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi trying to get the public to pressure the justices to change their decision.

This is a dangerous road to go down, particularly with people already threatening the justices.

Perhaps no one understands how dangerous that road is more than Judge Esther Salas, a U.S. District Court Judge in New Jersey. She was appointed to the federal bench by Barack Obama. But she angered some man by doing her job, so he, one day, showed up on her doorstep, posing as a delivery man with the intent of assassinating her. Her husband Mark Anderl and her son Daniel Anderl answered the door. The man pointed a gun at Salas’ husband. Her son stepped into the way and took the bullet the man fired at his father. Her son was killed, and her husband was seriously injured.

Now, Judge Salas is speaking out, asking people not to let something like this happen again. An incredibly poignant plea, particularly in the face of the SCOTUS justices being harassed and threatened. Fox’s Dana Perino asked the judge if the DOJ should be enforcing the law that’s already on the books, 18 U.S.C. Section 1507 which makes such intimidation of federal judges illegal.

The judge answered that she thought the “rule of law” has to be followed by everyone.

“This is not a partisan issue. The time to act is now.” Salas urged that there be legislative action to help protect the federal judiciary before someone else faces the same kind of tragedy that she did.

Powerful words from Obama-appointed district judge Esther Salas on with @DanaPerino​. Her only son was murdered at her home in 2020 by a gunman posing as a delivery man, intent on assassinating her. ​

"We no longer have our son. And why? Because I was doing my job." pic.twitter.com/acDK7qMfpl

— Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) May 10, 2022

“I live with the fact that my only child, my only child — Mark and I, we had one child and four miscarriages. We no longer have Daniel on this Earth. We no longer have our son. And why? Because I was doing my job. And there is no room in America for this kind of conduct. We must realize that we have to do things civilly. We have to be civil to one another and we have to protect our democracy at all costs. We know what can happen if we don’t protect our democracy and our federal judges.”

It’s hard to be more heartfelt than that. But, the DOJ doesn’t seem to feel the same way and doesn’t seem interested in enforcing the law. Judge Salas is right; It shouldn’t be a partisan issue. But it’s become one, putting the justices and their families at risk.