Friend,

Last month, Donald Trump’s FBI arrested Judge Hannah Dugan. Kash Patel, the hyperpartisan FBI Director, actually tweeted a photo of Judge Dugan in handcuffs.

This is a major escalation in Trump’s attack on the judiciary. And there’s no reason to think that Judge Dugan will be the last person to fall victim to the President's politicization of the rule of law. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the arrest sent a “strong message” to judges that the Trump administration will prosecute them if they obstruct justice by “escorting a criminal defendant out a back door.”

Keep in mind, Judge Dugan spent her career providing legal services for poor people, specializing in housing and public benefits. She was elected by her community and is seen as a fair and impartial jurist.

This highly unusual arrest comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s lawless deportations, blatant disregard of court orders, and arrest of political dissidents. None of this is normal.

I’ll keep speaking out in defense of the rule of law. I hope you will, too.

– Jim