Federal judge Mark Wolf announced Friday that he is stepping down from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, ending a 40-year tenure on the bench.
In an op-ed for The Atlantic, Wolf criticized the Trump administration, alleging it selectively used the law to reward allies while shielding favored individuals from scrutiny.
Wolf, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, served as a senior judge beginning in 2013, with his seat eventually filled by Judge Indira Talwani in 2014, according to Fox News.
He said ethical restrictions prevented him from speaking publicly on political and legal matters, prompting his resignation from a lifetime appointment.
“I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” Wolf wrote.
Reflecting on his early career at the Department of Justice under Attorney General Edward Levi during the post-Watergate era, Wolf emphasized impartiality in his judicial decisions.
“I consistently resolved cases based on facts and law, without regard to politics or popularity,” he said, contrasting his approach with what he perceives as the administration’s partisan use of prosecutorial discretion.
Wolf compared Trump’s alleged use of legal authority to historical actions during the Nixon administration.
He also highlighted a rise in threats against judges, citing nearly 200 incidents between March and late May 2025, which he attributed to heightened political tensions surrounding the courts.
He said he hopes to become a voice for judges constrained by ethical rules who wish to alert the public to risks to judicial independence.
The Trump administration responded through White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, who criticized Wolf for injecting personal political views into public commentary.
“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,” she told Fox News Digital.
“And any other radical judges that want to complain to the press should at least have the decency to resign before doing so.”
Conservative legal experts also questioned Wolf’s critique, The Daily Caller notes.
Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, called Wolf an “activist judge” whose criticisms overlooked the administration’s high success rate in federal litigation.
Davis pointed out that while Wolf was appointed by a Republican president, his nomination received support from Massachusetts Democrats, including Ted Kennedy and John Kerry.
Wolf’s resignation is rare in the federal judiciary, where lifetime appointments usually continue until retirement or death.
His departure draws attention to ongoing debates about judicial independence, public accountability and the ethical limits of judges speaking on political matters.
Analysts noted that his public critique of the executive branch sets a highly unusual precedent, reflecting tensions between judicial ethics and freedom of speech.
Observers have emphasized the broader implications for the judiciary amid political polarization.
Wolf’s resignation highlights the challenges judges face navigating public perception, ethical restrictions and politically charged legal conflicts.
His choice to leave the bench rather than remain silent signals a rare intersection of law, politics and personal principle in modern America.
