A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump, Roy Altman, has repeatedly appeared on pro-Israel and right-wing programs promoting his book denying Israel's genocide. Judge Altman has made inflammatory comments, including referring to the Palestinian keffiyeh scarf as a "terrorism scarf". The Florida attorney who filed a complaint against him alleges that he has violated judicial ethics codes by using his position to promote his views outside of court. The judge was confirmed in 2019 with a 66-33 Senate vote and has since made headlines for ruling on high-profile cases, including dismissing a transgender teenager's challenge to Florida's sports ban law.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Federal Judge Roy Altman, appointed by Donald Trump in 2019, has been accused of violating judicial ethics codes. In recent months, Altman has made public appearances on pro-Israel and right-wing programs, promoting his book that denies Israel's genocide and labeling the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf as a "terrorism scarf." He has also participated in events with a group combating what it calls "lawful Islamism" in the US. The judge claims to have taken 10% of federal judges on trips to Israel, influencing their views on the conflict there. This week, a Florida attorney filed a complaint with the US Court of Appeals, citing Altman's behavior as a potential ethics violation.
Written for “Trump Appointee Criticized Zionism” on 2026-08-31,
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Leaning score withheld for article 2115: no verified evidence · logged 2026-08-27
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A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump has, in recent months, repeatedly broadcast live from his office, appearing on pro-Israel and right-wing programs to promote his book denying Israel’s genocide.
asserted
judge → appoint → genocide
On one such broadcast, the judge, Roy Altman, called the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf a “terrorism scarf.”
asserted
judge → call → scarf
He’s participated in events with a group that purports to combat “lawful Islamism” in the U.S. All the while, he has bragged about taking 10% of the federal judicial branch on trips to Israel, and helping ensure that other federal judges see the situation in Israel and Gaza the way he does.
asserted
he → participate → Israel
This week, a Florida attorney filed a complaint with the U.S. Court of Appeals, accusing Altman, a judge in the Southern District of Florida, of violating judicial ethics codes.
asserted
attorney → file → codes
‘No Genocide’
Born in Venezuela, Altman was nominated in April 2018 by President Donald Trump, and was eventually confirmed by the Senate the next year, by a 66-33 vote.
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Altman → bear → vote
At the time, he was the youngest federal district court judge in the U.S.
He’s ruled on a variety of high-profile cases, including dismissing a transgender teenager’s legal challenge to Florida’s law banning transgender girls from playing on women’s and girl’s sports teams – and, more recently, halting an order requiring Trump to hand over financial information about his empire to the BBC, amid an ongoing libel suit Trump filed against the outlet.
asserted
Trump → rule → outlet
But Altman has been unusually active outside of his judicial mandate – including within the confines of his workday, when he might otherwise be expected to be conducting the people’s work as a taxpayer-funded official of the judicial branch.
uncertain
he → include → branch
