Supreme Court justices’ lives may be at risk due to President Donald Trump’s new moves. An attorney who worked on the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is warning that recent attacks on Supreme Court justices could bear serious risks.
The lawyer believes that heated rhetoric may fuel threats in an already tense political climate.
According to Raw Story, Temidayo Aganga-Williams, a former investigator for the House Jan. 6 committee, raised the concern during a weekend appearance on MSNBC Reports.
He was referring to President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of the Supreme Court of the United States after it ruled 6–3 against his administration’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs.
The decision, announced on Friday, limited the president’s ability to impose broad trade penalties without congressional approval. The Court found that the statute cited by Trump, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, did not authorize the wide-ranging tariffs he announced last year.
In public remarks and social media posts following the ruling, Trump criticized the justices who spoke against him, including members of the Court he personally nominated during his first term. He accused some of lacking “courage” and suggested political considerations influenced them.
Aganga-Williams believes that the shift toward personal attacks is troubling. “It’s always about the person,” he said. “And here I think what’s stark is that he cannot hide behind who appointed them. These are folks he appointed, folks he picked, folks he shook hands with and nominated, folks he espoused as great. And even they came down against him.”
Trump to raise US global tariff from 10 to 15% after Supreme Court ruling https://t.co/iJgeUXV1qh pic.twitter.com/3oYe4vAUay
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 22, 2026
He continued, “So he has to go down to attacking them personally, which I think is incredibly, incredibly dangerous because it’s one thing to say a judge got it wrong. When you attack the person, you suggest that the way to rectify this is with that person.”
The former investigator warned that such rhetoric could have consequences beyond politics. “In a world of political violence, I think we get closer and closer to teaching the American people that what they have to do to rectify their needs is not go through institutions, but instead something far more dangerous,” he said. “And I think that’s the path we’re down.”
Legal experts believe strong criticism of judicial decisions is common in American politics. However, some caution that personal attacks on judges, especially in a polarized environment, may heighten tensions.
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— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) February 22, 2026
Trump has defended his comments as legitimate political speech. Additionally, he has argued that the Court’s ruling undermines his ability to protect American economic interests.
Aganga-Williams emphasized that disagreements over policy should be resolved through constitutional channels. “The answer is to appeal, to legislate, to vote,” he said, pointing to the traditional mechanisms available in a democracy.
As the feud over executive authority and trade policy continues, the broader question of how political leaders speak about the judiciary is likely to be the centre of national discussion.
