A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan has resigned from the bench to speak openly against President Donald Trump’s use of the legal system for partisan purposes.
The former U.S. District Court judge for Massachusetts served on the federal bench for decades and began his Department of Justice career in 1974, shortly after the Watergate scandal. He cited Trump’s handling of legal matters targeting political opponents while protecting allies as his primary reason for stepping down.
Judge’s Statement on Judicial Independence
“My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” the judge wrote in his resignation announcement. He stated that Trump is “using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment.”
The judge credited his decades of service under Attorney General Edward Levi during the Ford administration with shaping his commitment to nonpartisan justice. “I hope to be a spokesperson for embattled judges who, consistent with the code of conduct, feel they cannot speak candidly to the American people,” he told The New York Times.
White House Response
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson responded to the resignation by criticizing judges who inject personal agendas into legal decisions. “Judges who want to inject their own personal agenda into the law have no place on the bench, and any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so,” Jackson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The resignation highlights ongoing tensions between the judicial branch and the Trump administration over the independence of the courts and the use of legal proceedings in political matters.
This story has been updated. CNN’s reporting team contributed to this report.
