Federal US judge faces complaint over staunch pro-Israel advocacy

A federal judge in the United States is facing a formal complaint over anti-Palestinian comments and alleged association with Islamophobic groups, in a case that highlights growing concern about possible pro-Israel bias in the judicial system .

Florida lawyer Katherine Giannamore filed the judicial complaint against District Judge Roy Altman earlier this month, accusing him of eroding “public confidence in the integrity, impartiality, and independence of the federal judiciary”.

The complaint, filed with the Eleventh Circuit Court, also says Altman used judicial resources to promote Israel, including by making media appearances from his chambers in Miami.

“Since at least April 2026, Judge Altman has consistently engaged in this conduct during business hours, broadcasting himself live from chambers and has utilized law clerks during public talks during business hours,” the complaint reads.

“These activities have been persistent, almost daily and spanned several months.”

The complaint points to several examples of what it considers to be worrying behaviour.

In April, for instance, Judge Altman appeared on a podcast with the Middle East Forum, a right-wing group whose stated mission is to combat “the infrastructure of lawful Islamism”. During the interview, he called the keffiyeh , a symbol of Palestinian identity, a “terrorism scarf”.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Giannamore pointed to such remarks as a reason for concern.