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 U.S. District Court judge for Massachusetts after his 1985 appointment, announced his resignation in an essay published in The Atlantic. Wolf said he could no longer accept the judicial constraints on public speech that prevented him from criticizing the administration.
Why He Resigned
“My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” Wolf wrote. “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 began his legal career at the Department of Justice in 1974, shortly after the Watergate scandal. He credited former Attorney General Edward Levi, who served under President Gerald Ford, with teaching him the importance of nonpartisan justice.
Wolf told The New York Times that he hoped to become “a spokesperson for embattled judges who, consistent with the code of conduct, feel they cannot speak candidly to the American people.”
The White House Response
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson dismissed Wolf’s criticism, stating that judges seeking to “inject their own personal agenda into the law have no place on the bench.” Jackson pointed to the Trump administration’s legal victories, noting the Supreme Court upheld its policies in more than 20 cases.
“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.
What This Means
Wolf’s resignation allows him to engage in political speech while stepping away from judicial duties. His seat on the bench was filled in 2014 by Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, after Wolf assumed senior status in 2013.
This story has been updated. CNN’s staff contributed to this report.
