‘Men’s rights’ lawyer eyed in attack

A self-described “anti-feminist” lawyer found dead in the Catskills of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound is considered the prime suspect in the shooting of a federal judge’s family in New Jersey, the FBI said Monday.

Roy Den Hollander, who received media attention including appearances on Fox News and Comedy Central for lawsuits challenging perceived infringements of “men’s rights,” was found dead Monday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Sullivan County, N.Y., according to two officials with knowledge of the investigation.

The FBI said Den Hollander was the “primary subject in the attack” and confirmed he had been pronounced dead but provided no other details.

A day earlier, a gunman posing as a FedEx delivery person went to the North Brunswick, N.J., home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas and started shooting, wounding her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, and killing her son, Daniel Anderl.

Salas was at home but in another part of the house and was unharmed, said the officials.

Den Hollander had a gender-equity lawsuit, filed in 2015, that was being heard by Salas involving a young woman who wanted to register for the military draft.

He also mentioned the judge in writings posted online, deriding her as a ladder climber who traded on her Hispanic heritage to get ahead.

A package addressed to Salas was found along with Den Hollander’s body, the officials said.

In a screed Den Hollander posted online, he also wrote of posing as a FedEx delivery person to speak with a young girl, the same tactic the gunman apparently used at the door to the judge’s family home.

Den Hollander was best known in years past for unsuccessful lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of “ladies night” promotions at bars and nightclubs.

Hollander’s litigation, and willingness to appear on television, earned him spots on The Colbert Report and MSNBC.

In more than 2,000 pages of often misogynistic, racist writings, Den Hollander criticized Salas’ life story of being abandoned by her father and raised by her poor mother as “the usual effort to blame a man and turn someone into super girl.”

In another section — part of a collection posted online that resembled an early draft of a memoir — he wrote: “When a lunatic shows up with a gun, what do you want for a defense—PC ideology or a six-shooter?”

Hollander’s writings also point to a possible connection to the area where he was found dead.

He described going to a family cabin in the Catskills community of Beaverkill, about 40 minutes by car from Liberty.

Attorney General William Barr said in a statement Monday that the FBI and the U.S. Marshals will continue investigating the shooting.

“This kind of lawless, evil action carried out against a member of the federal judiciary will not be tolerated,” Barr said.