Judicial Backlash Grows Over ‘Smear’ Campaign by Trump Officials

A US judge in Virginia offered one of the strongest rebukes to date of the Trump administration’s “concerted effort” to denounce and personally insult members of the federal bench who have blocked the president’s agenda.

US District Judge Thomas Cullen — who was confirmed during Trump’s first term — wrote in a ruling this week that rhetoric from senior government officials “to smear and impugn individual judges who rule against it is both unprecedented and unfortunate.” He quoted disparaging words used to describe judges, from “activists” and “radical” to “rogue” and “unhinged.”

It was only a footnote, but for a ...