ST. PAUL, Minn. – Two House committees have passed a bill to keep personal data about judges and their staffs off the internet and out of other media. The primary sponsor, Brion Curran, D-Vadnais Heights, expressed concern about growing Trump-era threats against the safety of the judiciary. Curran cited a January survey sent to 300 county judges in Minnesota. Of the respondents, she said, 90% reported inappropriate communications because of their work. Some 72% said they felt threatened, Curran said. The bill needs to go to the full House.
Verbatim
Judge Todd Schoffelmanm, of Anoka County, in House committee testimony: “Many judges noted death threats. The threats involve very specific forms of torture directed at the judge. A judge’s chamber was firebombed. Someone attempted to break into a judge’s home and then defecated near it. Another judge shared that someone created a fake video of a bomb exploding outside the judge’s home.”
Verbatim
Munira Mohamed, of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, opposed the bill for constitutional reasons, at least in its current form: “What differentiates between harassment and intimidation, from constitutionally protected rights of protest and petition? Everyone here knows that judges stand for election and they can face community criticism.”
Curran. Elected 2022. Among committees Judiciary and Civil Law.