Minneapolis, MN – A 72-year-old man with a history of threatening judges has been arrested again, this time for producing a manifesto detailing how to kill federal judges and distributing it at a public library, federal prosecutors announced.
Robert Phillip Ivers was charged with threatening to assault and murder a federal judge after authorities discovered a 236-page manifesto titled “How to Kill a Federal Judge” that included handwritten threats, disturbing sketches, and detailed instructions on violence.
According to court documents, on September 3, staff at the Wayzata Library reported that Ivers was printing and sharing copies of the manifesto, which contained references to killing judges, their families, and children. He also handed out flyers advertising the book, warning that “judges are going to die.”
Days earlier, Ivers had raised concerns at an Episcopal church in Minnetonka, where he told parishioners he planned to attend upcoming services and children’s events. Church staff, aware of his prior federal conviction for threatening a judge in 2019, contacted law enforcement.
When officers arrested Ivers later that day, they searched his vehicle and found multiple copies of the manifesto, flyers, lists of federal judges, a photo of a former pope with crosshairs drawn over his head, and other items including a replica firearm and fireworks. During questioning, Ivers admitted to showing the manifesto to library staff, shouting, “It was supposed to [scare people]!” when asked about its impact.
Ivers, who was previously convicted in 2019 of threatening to kill a federal judge in Minnesota, is now facing new federal charges. Prosecutors have requested that he remain detained while the case proceeds.
“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,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr.
Ivers is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon.
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Key Points
- Robert Phillip Ivers, 72, charged with threatening to kill a federal judge after distributing a violent manifesto.
- He previously served time for threatening another judge in 2019.
- Police found multiple copies of his manifesto, judge lists, and replica weapons during his arrest.
Ivers’s chilling threats have once again brought him before the federal courts he openly despises.
