State Judges Confront Death Threats, Swatting, and Violent Extremism at National Speak Up for Justice Forum

The September 25 Event Will Reveal a Graphic Deepfake AI Video Threat and Expose the Protection Gap Facing America's State Judges

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Speak Up for Justice, a grassroots nonpartisan movement, will host a virtual national forum on Thursday, September 25, where, for the first time, sitting state judges will share firsthand accounts of death threats, swatting incidents, and violent harassment campaigns aimed at silencing them and endangering their families.

Titled "Unprotected and Under Fire: State Judges at Risk as Congress Weighs Action," the forum will spotlight the widening security gap that leaves the nation's 30,000 state judges vulnerable.

The forum will reveal a computer-generated "deepfake" video threat, created with artificial intelligence, that depicts Florida Judge Jennifer Johnson's murder by hatchet and shotgun. While entirely fabricated, the AI video is a chilling example of how extremists are weaponizing technology to terrorize judges and undermine confidence in the courts.

Unlike their federal counterparts, state judges handle 95% of the nation's cases but receive no federal security protections. As threats spike nationwide, they are warning that the rule of law itself is at stake.

The forum will take place virtually on Thursday, September 25 at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT. Registration is open at www.SpeakUpForJustice.law.

"The rising violence against state judges is not just a security crisis, it's a constitutional crisis," said Paul Kiesel, attorney and founder of Speak Up for Justice. "Without action, intimidation will erode judicial independence and with it, the strength of our democracy."

Forum Speakers:

• Judge Jennifer J. Johnson (Florida) – Judge Johnson was targeted for years, culminating in a 2023 deepfake AI video depicting her violent murder with a hatchet and shotgun. Despite repeated warnings, law enforcement took five months to act; her stalker was arrested in 2024 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
  
  
• Judge Carroll J. Kelly (Florida) – After multiple case rulings, Judge Kelly has faced direct threats, cyberattacks, and stalking. Law enforcement was forced to guard her home 24/7, while she was advised to carry a firearm for her own protection.
  
  
• Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez (Colorado) – After a 4–3 ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court in December 2023 that former President Trump was disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment from Colorado's presidential primary ballot, all seven Chief Justices received threats. Chief Justice Márquez and her family endured spoofing, swatting, doxxing, and relentless intimidation. "It came at a real cost," she has said, describing how even her out-of-state in-laws were targeted.
  
  
• U.S. Senator Chris Coons (Delaware) – Senator Coons co-sponsored the bipartisan Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which would create a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center to monitor threats, provide training, and strengthen security for state judges nationwide.

What Speakers Will Discuss:

• The surge in threats, swatting, and cyber-harassment against state judges
• The profound toll on judges' families, colleagues, neighbors, and communities
• How violent intimidation campaigns undermine judicial independence and democracy
• The bipartisan legislative solution that is now before Congress

As the U.S. Marshals Service reports, there have been 513 threats against judges this year, already surpassing 2024's total of 509. The September 25 Speak Up for Justice forum offers an urgent and rare opportunity to hear directly from state judges under attack.

Legal professionals, media, and concerned citizens are urged to attend and join the movement to protect judicial independence.

Register at www.SpeakUpForJustice.law.

About Speak Up for Justice

Founded by attorney Paul Kiesel, Speak Up for Justice is a nonpartisan movement of legal professionals, judges, and advocates dedicated to defending the independence of the judiciary, promoting accountability, and protecting democracy from political interference in the courts.

Media Contacts:
Kathy Fowler
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-963-2345

Marc Silverstein
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 202-716-9123

SOURCE Kiesel Law