INDIANAPOLIS -- A law school friend of an Indiana-born judge under attack by Donald Trump says his friend is a "soldier" fighting for the right thing.
Milton Thompson graduated from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law along with Judge Gonzalo Curiel in 1979.
Both have since been inducted into the school's Academy of Law Alumni Fellows.
Curiel is presiding over class-action lawsuits involving Trump University. Recently, Trump has attacked Curiel, suggesting that his Mexican heritage disqualifies him from ruling in the case.
"He's a member of a club or society very strongly pro-Mexican, which is all fine," Trump said in an interview with ABC News. "But I say he's got bias. I want to build a wall. I'm going to build a wall."
After IU, Curiel practiced law in northwest Indiana, before launching an extensive career in California, including nearly three decades with the U.S. Attorney's Office. President Barack Obama appointed him to the federal bench in 2012, where he was confirmed by the Senate.
"His confirmation by the Senate was a significant one, showing this guy had the heart for the judiciary, the heart for Americans, the appropriate temperament relevant to how it is he would adjudicate cases," Thompson said.
The Indiana Democratic Party is accusing Republican officials at the state level, and members of the congressional delegation, of turning a blind eye to Trump's attacks.
Democratic Party Chairman John Zody criticized Republicans for not condemning Trump's attacks on the judge.
"The silence is deafening," Zody said. "And it should be a wakeup call for Hoosiers."
In a statement, the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party calls Zody's criticism another "typical stunt" from the Democratic Party to district Hoosiers from real issues that impact their lives.
Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly released a statement Monday saying Trumps attacks on Curiel are "shameful, ignorant, and show total disregard for our judicial system."
JUST IN: @SenDonnelly releases statement via campaign Facebook page RE: Trump comments on Indiana-born judge @rtv6 pic.twitter.com/GaglU8wAOY
— #IndyThisWeek (@IndyThisWeek) June 6, 2016
Thompson said Trump could potentially be held in contempt of court for his statements. He could also face sanctions for non-compliance.
Though so far, Gov. Mike Pence and most other prominent Republican officials haven't commented on Trump's attacks on Curiel, some GOP members have spoken out.
Republican State Rep. Jackie Walorski, of South Bend, did issue a statement Monday condemning Trump's attacks on Curiel, saying, "Questioning a judge’s impartiality based on his ethnicity is not only inappropriate, it has no place in American society.”
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller also spoke out, telling the Times of Northwest Indiana that, "If there's a legitimate question of bias, there is a professional way to raise that without showing disrespect for a judge and the system generally. This is nowhere close."
State Rep. David Ober also issued a "blanket denouncement" of Trump on Twitter, saying this isn't the first, or last, time the real estate magnate will be offensive.
I'll just make a blanket denouncement. This isn't the first time and won't be the last time that Trump is offensive. https://t.co/k7flkerQpS
— Rep. Dave Ober (@DaveOber) June 6, 2016
