CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – Citing previous threats against him, a federal judge has pulled himself from the trials of two men accused of aiding a pair of convicted New Hampshire tax evaders.

While declaring his confidence in maintaining impartiality during the supporters’ trials, Judge Steven McAuliffe said he was aware some may question his objectivity because of the threats.

“Because those public statements included threats of violence and physical harm directed at me, a reasonable person, fully informed of the facts, might understandably question my ability to remain impartial in this case, were I to preside,” McAuliffe wrote in memos dated Monday.

The cases of Cirino Gonzalez, of Alice, Texas, and Daniel Riley, of Cohoes, N.Y., have been reassigned to Judge Paul Barbadoro, who is handling two other cases of arrested supporters of Ed and Elaine Brown. The four supporters were arrested last week.

McAuliffe, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire, presided over the Browns’ trial in January, during which they were convicted of concealing $1.9 million in income to avoid paying federal taxes. The Browns believe federal tax laws are a fiction. They have refused to surrender to authorities and report to prison. Aided by supporters, they have engaged in a monthslong self imposed exile on their property in Plainfield.

Ed Brown has made numerous statements to the media promising violence to anyone targeting his property. On one radio broadcast, Brown warned lawyers and specifically named McAuliffe and New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Thomas Colantuono.

“This is massive. This is international. We are fed up with the Zionist Illuminati … Lawyers, whatever they are, OK, it’s got to stop. And if the judge is a member of that, I know that McAuliffe is, I know that U.S. Attorney Colantuono is, they’d better stop. This is a warning,” Brown said in a Feb. 2 broadcast of the “Constitution for the Defense,” an online radio show.

Brown continued, “once this thing starts, we’re going to seek them out and hunt them down.”

AP-ES-09-18-07 1117EDT