An Alaska man, Panos Anastasiou, has been charged with threatening to hurt and kill six justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Court documents reveal that Anastasiou allegedly sent over 465 threatening messages to six of the nine Supreme Court justices between March 2023 and July 16.
The big picture: The threats were made through a website maintained by the court and were intended to intimidate the justices and retaliate against them for official actions taken in their capacity as federal justices.
- Federal prosecutors also accused the 76-year-old Anastasiou of threatening the family members of the targeted justices.
- The messages contained violent, racist, and homophobic language, accompanied by threats of assassination using methods like torture, hanging, and firearms, with the escalation starting in January.
State of play: Anastasiou was arrested in Anchorage and is facing nine counts of making threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of making threats in interstate commerce.
- He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon following his arrest.
What we’re watching: If convicted, Anastasiou could face up to 10 years in prison for each count of making threats against a federal judge and a maximum of five years in prison for each count of making threats in interstate commerce.
- The increase in threats against the more conservative justices followed the overturning of Roe vs. Wade two years ago.
What they’re saying: “We allege that the defendant made repeated, heinous threats to murder and torture Supreme Court Justices and their families to retaliate against them for decisions he disagreed with,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement. “Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear. Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families.”
