Former federal judge Mark Wolf, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, announced Sunday that he has resigned from the bench, giving up his lifetime appointment to speak openly against President Donald Trump. Writing in The Atlantic, Wolf said he could no longer remain silent about what he sees as Trump’s use of the law for partisan purposes—targeting opponents while protecting allies and donors. “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,” Wolf wrote, emphasizing that the White House’s actions represent a threat to judicial independence and the rule of law. Wolf had served in the Department of Justice beginning in 1974 and credited Attorney General Edward Levi with shaping his nonpartisan approach to justice.
Wolf noted that he hoped to be a spokesperson for judges who feel constrained by ethical rules from speaking candidly to the public. He formally assumed senior status in 2013, and his seat was later filled by Obama appointee Judge Indira Talwani. The White House responded through spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, arguing that judges who inject personal agendas into the law “have no place on the bench” and highlighting Trump’s record of legal victories in the Supreme Court. Jackson suggested that judges wishing to comment publicly should resign first, implicitly framing Wolf’s departure as necessary for his critique.
The announcement comes amid ongoing legal disputes over food stamp benefits, one of the tangible impacts of the recent government shutdown. The Supreme Court extended a short-term order allowing the Trump administration to withhold full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments for November while Congress worked to reopen the government. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the extension. Advocates warned that millions of Americans, including children, have gone days without the aid they rely on to afford food, highlighting the real-world consequences of both policy decisions and legal battles stemming from the shutdown.
