128 Former Judges File Ethics Complaint Against DHS Counsel Over 415 Threats to Federal Judges
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 20
128 Former Judges File Ethics Complaint Against DHS Counsel Over 415 Threats to Federal Judges
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Aug 20
Summary
A bipartisan group of 128 former state and federal judges filed a Florida Bar ethics complaint against DHS general counsel James Percival over his July 23 “Worst of the Worst” list targeting sitting federal judges.
The complaint says Percival made false or recklessly misleading claims about judges who ruled against the Trump administration, accusing them of “judicial sabotage,” obstruction of deportations and endangering DHS officers.
U.S. Marshals data showed 415 threats against federal judges through Aug. 17 in fiscal 2026, with 307 judges targeted, and former judge Esther Salas said Percival was effectively putting a “bullseye” on those he named.
DHS has defended the posts as factual reviews of judicial decisions, while Percival mocked the complaint and said he would create a “Justice Peggy Quince Lifetime Achievement Award for Worst of the Worst Judging.”