Facing Personal Threats, Supreme Court Justices Request Increased Security Funding at Rare Congressional Appearance

The Supreme Court justices are pleading for a big boost in security funding as they confront an increase in violent threats following accusations of politics infiltrating precedent-setting court decisions.The high court is asking for $228.4 million in funding for the coming fiscal year with nearly $90 million of it allocated for security. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan testified Tuesday before House and Senate committees to explain their growing security needs.“I didn’t expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bullet-proof vest was and why I had to wear one,” Justice Barrett told a House appropriations subcommittee.Justice Barrett was the victim of a May swatting incident and she has faced other threats of violence. Swatting occurs when false calls are made to law enforcement about violence at a location, resulting in police being deployed to residents of an unsuspecting home or office. Federal judges have already received more than 350 threats this year, posed through communications, contacts, and potentially dangerous behavior, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. “Statistics sound abstract but being on the receiving end of them is not,” Justice Barrett said.Justice Barrett said that the threats against justices started increasing after the 2022 leak of a draft opinion, known as the Dobbs ruling, which overturned the Roe v. Wade abortion decision.A biological male was sentenced in October to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in the months after that leak. Nicholas John Roske, who now goes by Sophie Roske, was armed with a gun and zip ties during an arrest near Justice Kavanaugh’s home.Justice Kagan noted that the security environment has radically changed in the 15 years since she joined the court. “I didn’t have a security team of my own and I was accompanied by security personnel only when I participated in work-related public events,” Justice Kagan told the committee. She now has a constant security detail similar to cabinet-level officials.Congressman Mark Alford, a Missouri Republican, told the justices that a congressional visit to the Supreme Court earlier this year highlighted “disturbing deficiencies” in court security. Justice Kagan noted that people can enter the Supreme Court building before going through security screening, which occurs inside the building. The budget request includes about $6.5 million for a visitor center located outside the building for screening to take place there. The Supreme Court is also asking $14.6 million in additional funding for the court’s own police department. The police department was created to protect the court buildings and the justices while they are at the court. The U.S. Marshals Service has provided security at the homes of the justices and personal security when they travel. The Marshals Service was supposed to be a temporary measure. The justices have asked that the Supreme Court’s police department take over security details to provide continuity. The justices also want security details enlarged due to concerns about burnout from the job.“It’s just a lot of hours” to cover, Justice Barrett said.One problem the court is facing is finding enough police officers to hire. The court is now offering $60,000 bonuses for newly hired recruits. “This is a tough time to hire police officers. It’s a challenging recruitment environment,” Justice Kagan said. She said that the Supreme Court’s police department is competing with several other departments to hire qualified candidates.The court is facing more than physical threats. The court and its members have seen a large increase in cybersecurity threats in recent years. The court is requesting money allocated toward combating cyberthreats be bumped to $18 million next year, more than $2 million over the current budget.

Facing Personal Threats, Supreme Court Justices Request Increased Security Funding at Rare Congressional Appearance

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