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A recent attack on a Las Vegas judge is very disturbing. But such cases are uncommon
A defendant identified by court officials and records as Deobra Redden is seen about to leap over the desk of Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing in a felony battery case on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Authorities say the judge suffered minor injuries while a courtroom marshal suffered a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder.
Clark County District Court via AP
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Clark County District Court via AP
A defendant identified by court officials and records as Deobra Redden is seen about to leap over the desk of Judge Mary Kay Holthus during his sentencing in a felony battery case on Wednesday in Las Vegas. Authorities say the judge suffered minor injuries while a courtroom marshal suffered a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder.
Clark County District Court via AP
A courtroom proceeding took a violent turn when a man attacked a Las Vegas judge on Wednesday morning. Video shows when 30-year-old defendant Deobra Redden runs and leaps toward Judge Mary Kay Holthus as she tries to scramble away.
Holthus was about to announce Redden’s sentence in a felony battery case.
The judge was injured but not hospitalized. A marshal who intervened was hospitalized but remains in stable condition.
Video of the physical assault has been viewed nearly 70 million times on social media and is disturbing.
Perhaps it’s all the more shocking because such attacks in court tend to be rare, experts say. One notable case involved a Mississippi judge, Aubrey Rimes. In 2021, a defendant in a domestic violence charge was being escorted out of the courtroom when he attempted to attack Rimes.
But the majority of such acts against judges occur outside the courthouse.
Most courtrooms have heavy security and defendants are often shackled or handcuffed, explains James T. Richardson, a professor of sociology and judicial studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.
In 2021, there were more than 4,500 threats and other potentially dangerous interactions toward judges, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, which protects federal judges, among other duties. Since 1979, four federal judges have been murdered.
“Family court judges are more prone to experience threats or violence mainly because they are dealing with highly emotional family matters such as child custody and claims of domestic violence,” says Richardson.
A few months ago, a Maryland circuit court judge was shot in front of his own home, and died later in the hospital from injuries.
“Being a judge is a very trying occupation, and it takes its toll on many judges,” Richardson continues.
For people who attack a judge, there can be additional charges. In Nevada, the penalty for contempt of court, for instance, is a maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment not exceeding 25 days, says Justin Iverson, research librarian and assistant professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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Americans Exposed to Hantavirus on Cruise Ship Arrive in United States
Eighteen passengers who were aboard the MV Hondius, a cruise ship with a deadly hantavirus outbreak, landed in Omaha on a U.S. government medical flight. The passengers were being monitored at medical facilities in Nebraska and Georgia.
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We’re working diligently to ensure no one leaves the security in an unsecured way at an inappropriate time. No one who poses a risk to public health is walking out the front door of the streets of Omaha or beyond.
By Axel Boada
May 11, 2026
The man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month pleaded not guilty at a Monday arraignment in federal court.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, wearing an orange shirt and trousers, was handcuffed and shackled as he was brought into the courtroom in Washington, D.C., federal court. His handcuffs were attached to a chain around his waist, which clanked as he was led to the defense table.
Speaking on behalf of Allen, federal public defender Tezira Abe said her client “pleads not guilty to all four counts as charged,” including attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, in connection with the April 25 incident at the Washington Hilton hotel.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones advised the court that they plan to start producing their first tranche of discovery to the defense by the end of the week.
Officials said Allen, a California teacher and engineer, was armed with multiple guns, as well as knives, when he sprinted through a security checkpoint near the event where Trump and other White House officials had gathered with journalists.
He was arrested after an exchange of gunfire with a U.S. Secret Service officer who fired at him multiple times, a criminal complaint said. Allen was not shot during the exchange. The officer, who was wearing a ballistic vest, was shot once in the chest, treated at a hospital and released.
Trump and top members of his Cabinet and Congress were quickly evacuated from the room as others ducked under tables.
Allen was initially charged with attempting to assassinate the president, transportation of a firearm and ammunition through interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted him on a new charge in the shooting of a Secret Service agent.
Moments before the attack, Allen had sent his family members a note apologizing and criticizing Trump without mentioning the president by name, according to a transcript of some of his writings provided to NBC News by a senior administration official. Allen also wrote that “administration officials (not including Mr. Patel)” were “targets.”
He also appeared to have taken a selfie in his hotel room. Prosecutors said Allen, who was dressed in a black button-down shirt and black pants, was “wearing a small leather bag consistent in appearance with the ammunition-filled bag later recovered from his person,” as well as a shoulder holster, a sheathed knife, pliers and wire cutters.
Officials have said they believe Allen had traveled by train from California to Washington, D.C., before checking into the hotel.
Allen’s sister, Avriana Allen, told law enforcement that her brother would make radical comments and constantly referenced a plan to fix the world, but said their parents were unaware that he had firearms in the home and that he would regularly train at shooting ranges.
Records show that he had purchased a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun in August 2025 and an Armscor Precision .38 semiautomatic pistol in October 2023.
After his arrest, Allen told the FBI that he did not expect to survive the incident, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine. He was briefly placed on suicide watch at the Washington, D.C., jail, where he’s being held.
Allen is expected to appear in court for a June 29 hearing.
At Monday’s arraignment, his legal team said they plan on asking for the “entire office” of the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to be recused because of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s apparent involvement in the case in a “supervisory role.” Federal public defender Eugene Ohm said some of the evidence they receive from the government will further inform that decision.
Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. The New York Times
Shake intensity
Pop. density
A cluster of earthquakes have struck near the U.S.-Mexico border, including ones with a 4.5 and 4.7 magnitude, according to the United States Geological Survey.
As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.
Aftershocks detected
Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles
Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.
The New York Times
When quakes and aftershocks occurred
Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Saturday, May 9 at 11:55 p.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Sunday, May 10 at 11:54 p.m. Eastern.
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