Fox and Friends First: Judge Salas Speaks Out After Tragic Shooting at Her Home

In a gut-wrenching video, the Hon. Esther Salas, New Jersey District federal court judge whose home was attacked by a gunman and lawyer, spoke out.  She discusses the horror that she and her husband are facing at the loss of their son who was murdered by that lawyer, and the long road to recovery of her husband Mark, who was shot 3 times, has and will endure. Judge Salas also discusses the real dangers judges face with their personal information so readily available on the internet, and how this deranged man had a “dossier” on her and her family.

Former Morris County Prosecutor and now criminal defense attorney, Bob Bianchi, appeared Fox News to discuss this tragic situation and the danger to judges, but also prosecutors and defense attorneys. As Bianchi points out, while it is all too common to face death threats and the like as a prosecutor or judge, the actual actions taken tend to protect public servants leaves a lot of room for tragedies to still occur. Unfortunately for Judge Salas and her family, tragedy did finally strike and took the life of her innocent and uninvolved son, Daniel.

In light of this horrific situation, Judge Salas has called for action to help protect federal judges from threats of violence. It remains to be seen whether legislators will take action for this cause. However, one thing is clear, the access to personal information on the internet allows deranged and depraved individuals to stalk, harass, and tragically as is the case here, take innocent lives all to settle a score.  More must be done to protect our judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys from this unwarranted violence towards them and their families.

On a more personal note:

Bob Bianchi and all of us at The Bianchi Law Group, LLC would like to extend our sincere condolences and prayers to the Salas/Anderl families in this unimaginably difficult time. We believe the legal community must stand together in support of Judge Salas and her call to action to help protect those in our field who remain consistently at risk. While we are heartbroken that this tragedy occurred, we can only hope that the Judge Salas’ calls for change are heard and that all members of the community make the choice to join her in her plea for action. Daniel Anderl will not be forgotten, and his memory should be honored by such legislation.