ALJs Concerned About Threats

From a press release:

The Hon. Randall Frye, Pres. of the Assn. of Administrative Law Judges and a federal judge with the Social Security Administration based in Charlotte, N.C. and the Hon. Dana Leigh Marks, Pres. of the National Assn. of Immigration Judges and a federal immigration judge in the Department of Justice based in San Francisco, will release new data on threats and attacks directed at federal administrative law judges and will discuss concerns by judges about the level of safety in federal courtrooms where Social Security and Immigration cases are heard at a National Press Club Newsmakers press conference, Monday, August 30, at 10 a.m., in the Zenger Room of the National Press Club, 13^th Floor, National Press Building, 529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. ...

Between March and August of last year, 28 threats were recorded on Social Security offices that handle disability hearings and in the same period 10 individual judges who hear disability claims were threatened. Threats to the wives and children of judges also has been reported. In January, a gunman, possibly upset about a reduction in his Social Security benefits, killed a U.S. courthouse security guard and injured a deputy marshal in Las Vegas.

Judges have reported chairs being thrown at them, their robes being grabbed while on the bench and one respondent in an Immigration hearing reportedly attempted suicide in front of the judge.

Complicating matters and increasing security risks is the fact that most Social Security and Immigration judges do not have a bailiff or a security guard in their courtrooms and many of these facilities are only protected by private security guards. A large number of these courtrooms are now located in leased office space rather than government buildings.