A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump was named in a judicial complaint filed this week over what the complainant alleged to be “truly frightening” conduct.
Nominated by Trump in 2018 to serve as a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Judge Roy K. Altman has been outspoken in his controversial beliefs, which include referring to the Palestinian keffiyeh as a “terrorism scarf,” and participating with a group that opposes “lawful Islamism.” He’s also aided Trump by halting an order that required the president to produce his financial records related to his lawsuit against the BBC.
Filed by a Florida attorney, the complaint – which was reviewed and reported on by Zeteo on Saturday – alleges Altman to have potentially violated judicial ethics codes by using “judicial resources” to his own personal benefit.
“[Altman] has used significant judicial resources to engage in live podcasts from his judicial chambers, which promote his self-published book Israel on Trial, including with groups whose explicit missions are to promote the image of Israel in the United States,” the complaint reads, according to Zeteo.
The complainant also flagged Altman’s frequent trips to Israel, which Altman has boasted about having “taken 10% of the entire federal judiciary in America” with him during said trips in “just three years.”
“That nearly 10% of the federal judiciary may hold similar one-sided views after coming away from foreign state-sponsored trips, where they meet with foreign political officials, is truly frightening,” the complaint reads.
As flagged by Zeteo, the U.S. Courts’ code of conduct is clear about judges' responsibility to “not to any substantial degree use judicial chambers, resources, or staff to engage in extrajudicial activities permitted by this Canon.”
