A federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan stepped down from the bench to speak publicly against President Donald Trump’s use of the legal system.
Mark Wolf, who served as a U.S. District Court judge for Massachusetts since his 1985 appointment, announced his resignation in an essay published in The Atlantic. Wolf said he could no longer accept the constraints judges face regarding public statements and activities outside the courtroom.
“My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom. President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment,” Wolf wrote.
Wolf’s Judicial Background
Wolf began his legal career at the Department of Justice in 1974, shortly after the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. He served under Attorney General Edward Levi during the Ford administration, crediting Levi with instilling in him the importance of enforcing the law in a nonpartisan manner.
He assumed senior status in 2013, allowing President Barack Obama to nominate his successor. Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, was confirmed to the position in 2014.
White House Response
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson disputed Wolf’s characterization of Trump’s legal approach. “Here’s the reality: with over 20 Supreme Court victories, the Trump Administration’s policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings,” Jackson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Jackson added that judges seeking to advance personal agendas have no place on the bench and suggested that critical judges should resign before speaking to the press. “Any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so,” she said.
Wolf’s Future Role
Wolf told The New York Times he hopes to advocate for judges who feel constrained by judicial ethics rules. “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 said.
This story has been updated. CNN’s Digital team contributed to this report.
