US judges fear violence as Election Day nears

OVER the past four years, judges at Washington's federal courthouse have punished hundreds of rioters who stormed the US Capitol in an unprecedented assault on the nation's democracy. On the cusp of the next presidential election, some of those judges fear another burst of political violence could be coming.

Before recently sentencing a rioter to prison, US District Judge Reggie Walton said he prays Americans accept the outcome of next month's election. But the veteran judge expressed concern that Donald Trump and his allies are spreading the same sort of conspiracy theories that fueled the mob's Jan 6, 2021, riot.