Completely separate issue.
The rulebook doesn't have separate clauses about what the rules are depending on the degree to which a referee feels they have been given respect. And for good reason.
Plus, referees and players do not have equivalent roles. The player is the competitor. The player either is involved in a losing outcome, or a winning outcome. When the game is over there's no winning or losing for a referee. They don't have the same stakes depending on how well they do their job. They just have to do their job. They also don't face an opponent that's attempting to stop them from being successful, and is attempting to be more successful than them. Maybe they'd be better at their job if they did.
So I absolutely put more responsibility on the shoulders of the refs to do their job well, and if Judah is getting fouled, and they're swallowing the whistle because they don't like Judah, they're failing at their job, and may lack the emotionally maturity to do their job.