Alaska Resident Faces Charges for Multiple Threats Against Supreme Court Justices
Panos Anastasiou faces allegations of sending threatening messages to six court members and two of their relatives.
TroibNews 
A man from Alaska has been accused of sending a series of threatening messages to six justices of the Supreme Court and a few of their family members.
The man, identified as Panos Anastasiou, 76, from Anchorage, was taken into custody following a federal indictment that charged him with nine counts of threatening a federal judge and 13 counts of transmitting threats across state lines. Anastasiou was due to appear in a courtroom on Thursday afternoon to address a motion by prosecutors for his detention before his trial begins.
Authorities have noted an increase in violent threats directed at judges and other public figures associated with controversial legal cases. In the last year, individuals have been prosecuted for issuing death threats against three judges involved in legal matters concerning Donald Trump.
Anastasiou's actions are particularly notable due to the extensive number of communications involved, totaling over 465 messages sent through the Supreme Court's official website from March 2023 to July 2024.
The indictment points out that many of the threats were explicit and racially offensive, with frequent use of racial slurs and mentions of lynching. The document did not specify which justices or their family members were targeted, but it referenced the presence of two African American justices on the court, Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“The messages contained violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric coupled with threats of assassination via torture, hanging, and firearms, and encouraged others to participate in the acts of violence,” the indictment states.
In response to these events, Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the grave threat these types of threats pose to the principles of democracy. “Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear,” Garland stated. “Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families.”
The messages revealed that Anastasiou claimed to be a Vietnam veteran and mentioned a past negative encounter with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. According to prosecutors in a court document, Anastasiou has a history of issuing similar threats against "the governor of another state," though specifics about the state or governor were not disclosed.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
The man, identified as Panos Anastasiou, 76, from Anchorage, was taken into custody following a federal indictment that charged him with nine counts of threatening a federal judge and 13 counts of transmitting threats across state lines. Anastasiou was due to appear in a courtroom on Thursday afternoon to address a motion by prosecutors for his detention before his trial begins.
Authorities have noted an increase in violent threats directed at judges and other public figures associated with controversial legal cases. In the last year, individuals have been prosecuted for issuing death threats against three judges involved in legal matters concerning Donald Trump.
Anastasiou's actions are particularly notable due to the extensive number of communications involved, totaling over 465 messages sent through the Supreme Court's official website from March 2023 to July 2024.
The indictment points out that many of the threats were explicit and racially offensive, with frequent use of racial slurs and mentions of lynching. The document did not specify which justices or their family members were targeted, but it referenced the presence of two African American justices on the court, Clarence Thomas and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
“The messages contained violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric coupled with threats of assassination via torture, hanging, and firearms, and encouraged others to participate in the acts of violence,” the indictment states.
In response to these events, Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the grave threat these types of threats pose to the principles of democracy. “Our justice system depends on the ability of judges to make their decisions based on the law, and not on fear,” Garland stated. “Our democracy depends on the ability of public officials to do their jobs without fearing for their lives or the safety of their families.”
The messages revealed that Anastasiou claimed to be a Vietnam veteran and mentioned a past negative encounter with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. According to prosecutors in a court document, Anastasiou has a history of issuing similar threats against "the governor of another state," though specifics about the state or governor were not disclosed.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
