Alaskan man charged for threatening Supreme Court justices
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Alaskan man was arrested on Sept. 18, for threatening six Supreme Court justices, along with their family members using a public website controlled by the Supreme Court.
An Alaskan native has been arrested on Sept. 18 for threatening to harm six Supreme Court justices, along with their family members. Using a public website controlled by the Supreme Court, Panos Anastasiou had sent around 465 heinous messages to different members and their families. The aggressive messages were being sent as early as the spring of 2023, but in January of 2024, the violence level increased to life-threatening actions, including messages that contained specific details of torture and death.
As early as Jan. 4, 2024, it was revealed that the 76-year-old Alaskan’s rhetoric had gone on to include messages with homophobic, racist, and violent content—even threatening the targeted justices with hanging, beheading, and other forms of torture. Anastasiou made his threats clear within his motives and even invited others to join him in committing the desired acts.
On this occurrence, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated, “Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear. Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families”. When judicial leaders make decisions under the influence of fear, the outcome may not align with democratic principles.
Anastasiou is being charged with nine counts of threats against a federal judge and 13 counts of threats regarding interstate commerce. The judges who received the threats have yet to be named publicly. It is theorized that Clarence Thomas, a notably conservative justice, was one of the judges being targeted, and claims of former President Trump are also mentioned.
According to Reuters, he used racial slurs when describing one of the justices. One of the messages sent on Jan. 4 included a threat to murder a justice and a former President. Anastasiou wrote, “hanging together from an Oak tree…gladly provide the rope and pull the handle.” The unnamed former president is likely former President Donald Trump, as a subsequent message included in court filings references him as a "convicted criminal." A later message from May 17, 2024, goes into detail on how the defendant desired the Supreme Court justice and his wife to be shot by Vietnam veterans with AR-15 weapons—here, it is important to recognize that Anastasiou is a Vietnam veteran himself.
This case highlights that threats to federal appointees have been “more than doubled” in the last few years. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a man was found trying to trespass onto Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home armed with weapons and zip ties. Amy Coney Barrett and Samuel Alito have also experienced physical threats based on decisions they have made. Anastasiou backed this claim by stating, “We should make [Supreme Court Justices 1-6] be AFRAID very AFRAID to leave their home and fear for their lives every day,” in a message sent on July 5.
The defendant has entered a plea of not guilty so far and has declined to comment on the pending trial. He has been released from detention following assurance that he is not in contact with any of the justices he has threatened. The Supreme Court has declined to comment on the matter.