Authorities in Minnesota have arrested a 72-year-old man accused of writing and distributing a disturbing manifesto titled “How to Kill a Federal Judge.”
Robert Phillip Ivers, who has a history of threatening federal judges, was taken into custody last week and charged with threatening to assault and murder a federal judge, according to prosecutors.
“At a time when Minnesota is reeling from acts of violence, the last thing we need is someone spreading fear into our churches, libraries, and courts,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement. “Ivers’s threats are bone chilling. After the past few months, we are not taking chances. When someone threatens our community, we believe them, and we will act swiftly to protect Minnesotans.”
Court records reveal that Ivers was previously convicted in 2019 for threatening to kill a federal judge, serving 18 months in federal prison.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, law enforcement responded to the Wayzata Library on September 3 after receiving a report of a man making copies of a 236-page manifesto.
Authorities say Ivers showed portions of the manifesto to staff, including a page that referenced “killing children” alongside a sketch of a firearm. He also distributed a three-page flyer advertising the book, which prosecutors allege was designed “to teach extremists on how to plan, train, hunt, stalk and kill anyone including judges, their family members, politicians and more!”
One particularly chilling passage read: “The harsh reality is that judges are going to die.”
Items Seized by Authorities
Later that day, investigators located Ivers and arrested him. A search of his vehicle uncovered alarming items, including:
- 20 spiral-bound copies of How to Kill a Federal Judge
- Flyers promoting the book
- Lists of federal judges
- A copy of the Anarchist Cookbook
- A photograph of the former Pope with crosshairs drawn over his head
- A replica firearm with CO2 cartridges and pellets
- Fireworks
Prosecutors said the manifesto was centered on Ivers’s grievances with the judicial system and his alleged desire for revenge. The writings contained violent sketches, handwritten threats to kill judges and their families, and repeated calls for intimidation.
“If this book doesn’t instill fear in you then your already dead,” one passage allegedly stated.
Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis stressed the seriousness of the case: “Threats of violence directed at federal judges not only undermine the integrity of our legal system but also pose a grave risk to the principles of justice and democracy. The FBI and our law enforcement partners consider all threats of violence against judges, or any public servants, with grave seriousness. These actions will not be tolerated. As this chilling case confirms, we are fully committed to protecting judges who devote themselves to our communities and legal system.”
Ivers made his initial court appearance on Tuesday and will remain in detention pending a bond hearing scheduled for Friday.
