Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says she wants to see the Legislature increase the penalties for threats against judges and their loved ones.
“I have language I’m suggesting to the legislature that would make threatening a judge or their family member a ten-year felony. I want to treat it very seriously because we don’t want to tolerate that,” Bird says.
Bird says judges and prosecutors should also be allowed to seek a professional permit to carry a gun in a courtroom.
“County attorneys can have a professional permit to carry a firearm in court. For example, I think the folks in my office and attorneys in my office, including myself, that would prosecute crime and be involved there. We should also be able to do that as well as judges if they choose to do that,” she says.
Those issues are part of Bird’s overall legislative priorities for this session.
