Last week, Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker, along with Representative Mikie Sherrill, re-introduced a bipartisan bill that would protect the privacy of judges and their families. The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 would increase resources in the US Marshals Service (USMS) and the Department of Justice to monitor and assess online threats, maintain records, investigate complaints and address acts of aggression and violations. It authorizes the USMS to hire additional intelligence analysts and other personnel to ensure the agency is able to anticipate and deter threats at the federal level. The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) has been a vocal supporter of this and other laws to protect judges and foster judicial independence.
“The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act is an important and necessary step to protect our jurists and their families. Even more, this legislation will fortify the independence of the Judiciary that our country holds in the highest regard,” said NJSBA President Domenick Carmagnola.
Last year, New Jersey passed Daniel’s Law, which amends the Open Public Records Act to exclude from the definition of a government record the portion of any document that discloses the home address of any active or retired judge or any active or retired prosecutor. The bill also enables those individuals to request that the information be removed.
Daniel Anderl was the only son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas and attorney Mark Anderl. Daniel was shot to death, and Mark was critically injured, at their home, at the hands of a disgruntled attorney who had appeared before Judge Salas. The shooter, who later killed himself, had apparently compiled a dossier of personal information about Judge Salas, which also included her home address.
“The threats against our federal Judiciary are real, and they are on the rise. We must give the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies charged with guarding our courts the resources and tools they need to protect our judges and their families,” said Senator Menendez. “I made a personal commitment to Judge Salas that I would put forth legislation to better protect the men and women who sit on our federal Judiciary, to ensure their independence in the face of increased personal threats on judges, and help prevent this unthinkable tragedy from ever happening to anyone else.”
The bill has bipartisan sponsorship with Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, signing on as a prime sponsor. The NJSBA has pledged to work with the sponsors to move the bill forward.
This is a status report provided by the New Jersey State Bar Association on recently passed and pending legislation, regulations, gubernatorial nominations and/or appointments of interest to lawyers, as well as the involvement of the NJSBA as amicus in appellate court matters. To learn more, visit njsba.com.