Another reason not to take the bench?

As if low pay for judges weren't already enough (see my previous post here), it is now clear that judges face real dangers to their safety. As detailed in this story in today's Salt Lake Tribune, judges in Utah and around the country are contending the U.S. Marshals Service is not adequately protecting them in the face of threats and violence. The judges asked Congress for more money for security.

For many judges, the primary guarantee of security is anonymity. In other words, most of us don't recognize state and federal judges at the grocery store. But when Supreme Court justices are jogging alone in D.C. parks and get mugged, it signals that anonymity may not be enough.