Impeachment threats against judges — and sometimes physical threats to their safety — compromise the independence of the judiciary, experts warn.

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.

Two senior federal judges on Tuesday raised the alarm about the increase in violent threats against members of the judiciary and expressed concerns about calls to impeach judges over the rulings they make.