Over the weekend, news broke that the beachfront home of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein was engulfed in flames and destroyed, injuring at least three people, including her husband and son. TIME+2The Daily Beast+2 In the days before the fire, Judge Goodstein had reportedly been receiving death threats after issuing a temporary injunction blocking the state’s voter data release to the Department of Justice — a decision that drew criticism from Trump‐aligned officials. TIME+1 While investigators have not yet ruled out arson, the timing and pattern of threats demand that we confront the deeper problem: a political ecosystem that too often enables violence against judges, officials, and institutions.

This incident is far from isolated. We’ve seen an alarming rise in political violence targeting those who serve as checks on power — especially judges. From threats, vandalism, and doxxing to more overt acts of destruction, the threats are real and growing. When high-profile political figures repeatedly cast judges who rule against them as “traitors,” enemies, or “insurrectionists,” it lowers the barrier for someone else to turn words into violence. The line between fiery rhetoric and actual arson blurs when leaders refuse to tamp it down. At that point, whether by intent or negligence, they become accessories to the chaos.

Will Donald Trump denounce this attack? Will he unequivocally condemn violence against a judge — someone who was simply performing their constitutional duty? His silence or equivocation would be not only shocking but corrosive to the rule of law. The American people deserve better — and so does our justice system. SPOILER ALERT: HE WON’T DO A DAMN THING!