WASHINGTON — A Reagan-appointed federal judge has stepped away from the bench after four decades, saying he could no longer remain silent about what he describes as an assault on the rule of law under President Donald Trump.
Former U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, resigned from his senior judicial position in November 2025. In an essay published by The Atlantic, Wolf said he was giving up the protections of a lifetime judicial appointment so he could speak publicly about his concerns over the Trump administration.
Wolf argued that judicial ethics rules limited what sitting judges could say publicly and said he wanted greater freedom to criticize government actions. He accused Trump of using federal law for partisan purposes and argued that the administration was undermining judicial independence.
“The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out,” Wolf wrote.
Wolf began his Justice Department career in 1974, working in the aftermath of Watergate. He later served as a federal judge in Massachusetts and took senior status in 2013 before ultimately leaving the federal judiciary in 2025.
The White House rejected Wolf’s criticism. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson argued that judges should not use their positions to advance personal political agendas and defended the administration’s record in court.
The controversy comes as both parties prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, with campaign finances emerging as another major battleground.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters has argued that Republicans could enter the midterms with a substantial financial advantage. Breitbart reported in July that Republican committees and allied groups held significantly more cash than their Democratic counterparts based on recent filings.
Gruters has also highlighted changes to federal campaign-finance rules following a Supreme Court decision that removed previous limits on coordinated spending between political parties and candidates.
With the midterms approaching, the dispute over judicial independence and the escalating battle over campaign money are becoming increasingly prominent parts of the national political landscape.
