Our president appears to enjoy belittling his political opponents with catchy nicknames.  As offensive as that may be, these taunts are directed at people who chose to be in the political arena.  His attacks on judges, however, are an entirely different matter.

Federal judges are appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate and have life tenure.  Once they take the oath of office they are members of the only non-political branch of government.  Judges are bound by the Judicial Code of Conduct, which restricts their ability to respond to unwarranted attacks.  Canon 3(6)  of the code states that “a judge should not make public comment on the merits of a matter pending or impending in any court.”  The commentary on that section states that “the judge should take particular care so that [a] comment does not denigrate public confidence in the judiciary’s integrity and impartiality.”