A prominent conservative U.S. appeals court judge resigned from the largest association of federal judges over its decision to speak out against a rise in criticism, threats and violence directed at the judiciary in a statement issued after several judges came under attack for blocking Trump administration initiatives.

Two senior members of the federal judiciary on Tuesday pushed back on Republican threats to impeach judges who rule against President Donald Trump, asserting that such a move would “short circuit” the appeals process.

Key members of the U.S. federal judiciary warned on Tuesday of a rising number of threats directed at their colleagues and described calls to impeach judges over their rulings "concerning" as some Republican lawmakers push to remove jurists who have blocked U.