Minnesota Man Charged with Threatening Federal Judge After Alleged Manifesto Distribution
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – A 72-year-old man from Minnesota has been charged by federal complaint after allegedly authoring and distributing a manifesto detailing how to kill a federal judge, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota.
Robert Phillip Ivers, who has a prior federal conviction for threatening to kill a judge, was arrested earlier this month following reports of disturbing behavior at a library and church events in the Twin Cities. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson announced the charges on Monday.
“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,” Thompson said. “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.”
According to court documents, Ivers was seen on September 3 at the Wayzata Library printing copies of a 236-page manifesto titled “How to Kill a Federal Judge.” He allegedly showed pages of the document to library staff, including one that referenced killing children and depicted a firearm. Before leaving, he handed staff a three-page flyer promoting his writings, which stated the manifesto was “designed to teach extremists how to plan, train, hunt, stalk and kill anyone, including judges, their family members, politicians, and more.”
Investigators also learned that days earlier, on August 28, Ivers drew concern at an Episcopal church in Minnetonka, where he attended services and told parishioners he planned to attend upcoming family and children’s events. Church staff later researched his background and discovered his prior threats of violence and felony conviction, prompting them to alert law enforcement. Wayzata police arrested Ivers on September 3, 2025. After initially being taken to a hospital, he was released and later re-arrested on September 5. A search of his vehicle uncovered 20 printed copies of the manifesto, flyers advertising it, lists of federal judges, a photo of a former pope with crosshairs on it, a copy of the Anarchist Cookbook, replica firearms, CO₂ cartridges, pellets, and fireworks.
When questioned, Ivers admitted to showing his manifesto to library staff. Asked if he thought it might have scared anyone, he reportedly shouted: “It was supposed to!”
The manifesto included threats against multiple federal judges, including one who presided over Ivers’s past case. In 2019, Ivers was convicted of threatening to kill another Minnesota judge.
“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. “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.”
Ivers is scheduled to make his initial appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon, September 15, 2025. Prosecutors are seeking to have him detained pending trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Melinda A. Williams is prosecuting the case. It is the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Wayzata Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
A complaint is an allegation, and Ivers is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Provided by the Sherburne County Jail
