Threats against federal judges and prosecutors have more than doubled in recent years , with threats against federal prosecutors rising from 116 to 250 from 2003 to 2008 , and threats against federal judges climbing from 500 to 1,278 in that same period , prompting hundreds to get 24-hour protection from armed U.S. marshals . The problem has become so pronounced that a threat management center has been opened in Crystal City , Arlington , Virginia , where a staff of about 25 marshals and analysts monitor a 24-hour number for reporting threats , use sophisticated mapping software to track those being threatened and tap into a classified database linked to the FBI and CIA . In 2009 , a radio host was indicted for , after criticizing three appellate judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit who affirmed a lower court decision to dismiss challenges to Chicago 's handgun ban as " cunning , ruthless , untrustworthy , disloyal , unpatriotic , deceitful scum " , allegedly saying , " Let me be the first to say this plainly : These judges deserve to be killed . " He also allegedly posted blog entries providing a photo and a map of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago , where the court is located , with arrows pointing to " anti-truck bomb barriers . " That case resulted in two hung juries . The sending of white powder as part of a threatening communication has become common since the 2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
Threatening government officials of the United States