Esther Salas
92
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10
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PODCASTS
Search complete. 92 mentions across 10 episodes found for "Esther Salas".
Oct 29, 2026
Charlie SykesHOST
Today, we talk with one of those judges.
Charlie SykesHOST
And joining me on the podcast today is Jeremy Fogel, former district court judge from the Northern District of California and the first executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute and a member of the Article 3 Coalition.
Charlie SykesHOST
Well, first of all, Judge, thank you so much for joining me today.
Jeremy FogelGUEST
Oh, thank
Charlie SykesHOST
I mean, there is a difference between legitimate criticism of court decisions and people on both ends of the political spectrum engage in that.
Charlie SykesHOST
So there are, you know, legitimate ways of criticizing decisions that courts make.
Charlie SykesHOST
But there's a distinction between efforts to actually intimidate justices or judges and undermine their independence.
Charlie SykesHOST
So let's talk about that.
Michael PopokHOST
This is a serious problem.
Michael PopokHOST
I just had a panel on Legal AF, including Judge Beth Bloom with the Southern District of Florida in, based in Miami, and Judge Salas, Esther Salas of the District of New Jersey.
Michael PopokHOST
Judge Salas comes to this with a special, um, a special, um, uh, vantage point.
Michael PopokHOST
Her own son, Danny, seven years ago in July, was assassinated, murdered, when some guy showed up who wanted to harm or kill Judge Salas, showed up with a pizza.
Michael PopokHOST
And it's important.
Michael PopokHOST
I just, you know, we also had Judge Salas on, Esther Salas.
Michael PopokHOST
You ever see her heartbreaking story? She's been on 60 Minutes.
Michael PopokHOST
She's been on Legal AF.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
He called the judge a, quote, crazed lunatic.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
And here's what Judge Esther Salas, who tragically lost her son to an act of political violence in her home, said about this time and those kinds of attacks.
Esther SalasSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
The judiciary is under attack and it starts with the president on down.
Esther SalasSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
And for me, as Danny's mom, I cannot pretend that this isn't happening.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
They're, I think, voters' hope, a check on the corruption, although other than investigate it, I think Trump will play his immunity card over and over again and keep stealing from the American people.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
But I wonder how much we'll learn about the elections being a check on this.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
on making threats against people in public life, either politicians like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who were once in the tent and then left the tent, judges like Judge Esther Salas or this judge, who he called a, quote, crazed lunatic, or other people.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
I mean, he attacked Karl Rove and John Cornyn.
Lisa RubinCORRESPONDENT
So she is not backing down from what she perceives is her responsibility here pursuant to Article 3 of the Constitution solely because the president is making it less safe for her to do her job.
Lisa RubinCORRESPONDENT
In light of what's happened with Judge Esther Salas's son, for example, in light of the threat environment against members of Congress of both parties, that kind of rhetoric is not responsible.
Lisa RubinCORRESPONDENT
And Judge Honoré, you know, kudos to her, regardless of what you think about her perseveration on the trees here.
Lisa RubinCORRESPONDENT
Kudos to her for continuing to do her job, because as James said, the flip side of that is if you don't perseverate on it, you might end up in a situation where the East Wing has been demolished and cranes are flying in the air over Washington, D.C. Well,
Alicia MenendezHOST
Because we are all the trees just getting trampled by incredible executive overreach.
James SampleGUEST
Well, yeah.
James SampleGUEST
And, you know, to the Esther Salas point, you know, on February 12th of this year, Judge Reyes said in court she she portrayed the evidence that she had been subjected to death threats herself.
James SampleGUEST
And so this is a judge who's been attacked before.
Thom HartmannHOST
Marshals logged 564 threats against federal judges in fiscal 2025, and Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, who Trump and his allies called a monster and a lunatic for blocking a funding freeze, had marshals tell him they'd identified at least six credible death threats.
Thom HartmannHOST
Judge Esther Salas, who now spends her time warning her colleagues about what this rhetoric produces, knows the power of Trump's intimidation efforts.
Thom HartmannADVERTISER
In 2020,
Thom HartmannHOST
her only son Daniel opened the door of their New Jersey home to a Trump supporter in a delivery uniform who'd written that she was a lazy, incompetent Latina judge appointed by Obama and shot Daniel dead.
Rich LenkovHOST
We've had a lot of judges on.
Rich LenkovHOST
We had Judge Esther Salas, who I'm sure you've heard of, her situation.
Rich LenkovHOST
Unfortunately, her son was murdered by someone who had sour grapes.
Rich LenkovHOST
Do you have any concern? I'm sure the committee is concerned about this, about...
Nicolle WallaceHOST
We'll be right back.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
[whoosh] [smacks lips] My guest in this week's episode of the Best People Podcast is my dear friend, Judge Esther Salas.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
She's become beloved and familiar to our viewers through her openness and advocacy in the wake of her son Daniel's murder, highlighting the threats that judges face in this current political moment.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
Take a listen to what she told me about what it will look like to survive that climate as a country.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
[upbeat music] [air whooshing] My guest on this week's episode of the Best People Podcast is a familiar face to most of you.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
It's Judge Esther Salas.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
She has come on this program and shared her story about what happened to her son.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
She's spoken out as well about the rise of threats to judges.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
The goal of those deliveries, to send a very clear message, "We know where you and your families and your kids live." My guest this week knows the dangers of this rhetoric and of political violence firsthand.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
Federal District Judge Esther Salas lost her beloved son, Danny, when a man, a plaintiff who had been in her court years before, shot him and her husband in their home.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
In the face of unfathomable loss and tragedy, Judge Salas has made it her mission to push back against the scourge of political violence, a mission that is all the more urgent given the looming midterms and the possibility that judges will once again have to uphold our democracy.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
So this is the best people, and this is my dear friend, Danny's mom, Judge Esther Salas.
Nicolle WallaceHOST
I've got something in my eye already.
Esther SalasGUEST
[laughs]
21 MINS LATER
Esther SalasGUEST
[upbeat music]
Nicolle WallaceHOST
We'll take a quick break right here, let you find your Kleenex.