Federal Judge Resigns To Speak Out Against Trump’s ‘Assault On The Rule Of Law’
A federal judge appointed by former President Ronald Reagan has resigned his lifetime post to speak publicly against what he describes as a dangerous politicization of the justice system under Donald Trump. Mark L. Wolf, who served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts since 1985, announced his decision in an op-ed published in The Atlantic, saying he could no longer remain silent as he believes the former president uses the law to reward allies and target adversaries.
Wolf, 78, said that stepping down would allow him to speak freely after decades of being constrained by judicial ethics rules.
โPresident Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment,โ he wrote. โThis is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White Houseโs assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.โ
A Massachusetts native and Harvard Law graduate, Wolf began his public service career in the Department of Justice in 1974, joining just after the Watergate scandal. He served under Attorney General Edward Levi during President Gerald Fordโs administrationโa formative experience that, he said, shaped his views on nonpartisan justice and the importance of public trust in the legal system. He later became a top federal prosecutor in Boston before Reagan nominated him to the bench. Over nearly four decades as a judge, Wolf became known for handling high-profile corruption cases and for his work to strengthen judicial ethics and transparency.
Wolf took senior status in 2013, meaning he already had a reduced caseload and his seat was filled the following year by Judge Indira Talwani. His resignation, therefore, does not create a new vacancy for any administration to fill. Instead, it marks his formal departure from a system he says is under siege from political manipulation.
โI decided all of my cases based on the facts and the law, without regard to politics, popularity, or my personal preferences,โ Wolf wrote. โThat is how justice is supposed to be administeredโequally for everyone, without fear or favor. This is the opposite of what is happening now.โ
Speaking to The New York Times, Wolf said he hopes to serve as a voice for other judges who feel bound by the Code of Judicial Conduct from speaking candidly about growing public distrust in the courts. โI hope to be a spokesperson for embattled judges who, consistent with the code of conduct, feel they cannot speak candidly to the American people,โ he said.
The White House pushed back sharply on Wolfโs remarks. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital that judges โwho want to inject their own personal agenda into the law have no place on the bench.โ
She added that Trumpโs record of legal victories undermines Wolfโs claim of politicization: โWith over 20 Supreme Court victories, the Trump Administrationโs policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings. Any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so.โ
