A federal judge appointed by former President Ronald Reagan has resigned from the bench, citing his inability to remain silent amid what he describes as President Donald Trump’s assault on the rule of law.
U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf, who served on the District of Massachusetts, announced his resignation from his lifetime appointment. In a strongly worded statement, Wolf said he could no longer accept the ethical constraints placed on sitting judges that limit their public commentary.
“My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” Wolf wrote. “President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.”
The veteran jurist began his public service career at the Department of Justice in 1974, shortly after the Watergate scandal that forced President Richard Nixon’s resignation. Wolf credited Attorney General Edward Levi, who served under President Gerald Ford, with instilling in him a deep commitment to nonpartisan justice.
“This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench,” he added. “The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out.”
Wolf, who took senior status in 2013, had his seat filled in 2014 by Judge Indira Talwani, an appointee of President Barack Obama. He told The New York Times he hopes to serve as a public voice for other judges who feel constrained by judicial conduct rules from speaking candidly.
The White House pushed back sharply against the criticism. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital that judges who wish to inject personal political agendas into the law “have no place on the bench.”
“Here’s the reality: with over 20 Supreme Court victories, the Trump Administration’s policies have been consistently upheld by the Supreme Court as lawful despite an unprecedented number of legal challenges and unlawful lower court rulings,” Jackson said. “And any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so.”
The resignation comes just months before the November 2026 midterms, adding to the already heated political climate.
Meanwhile, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters expressed confidence in the GOP’s financial position heading into the elections. Speaking on Breitbart, Gruters suggested Republicans could significantly outspend Democrats this cycle — a reversal from recent election patterns.
Gruters highlighted the DNC’s reported negative cash balance of $4 million and contrasted it with stronger resources on the right. “The collective on the right, we may have $800 million,” he said, compared to roughly $350 million on the left. He also pointed to pending court rulings on coordinated campaign spending limits that could further benefit Republican efforts.
The developments reflect deepening partisan divisions as both parties gear up for a pivotal midterm battle.
