News summary produced by Claude AI
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared before a House appropriations panel Tuesday to address security concerns affecting the nation’s highest court, describing a significant increase in threats directed at justices and their families. Barrett detailed how security measures have become necessary in her personal life, noting that she was required to wear a bulletproof vest while traveling home years ago—a precaution she found difficult to explain to her young child. Justice Elena Kagan joined Barrett in testifying in support of expanded security funding.
The Supreme Court has requested $228 million for the next fiscal year, approximately 10 percent more than the previous year. Within that request, $14.6 million would specifically expand personal protection for justices, including six additional agents for each justice. An additional $2 million would establish an off-site residential security post designed to enable faster emergency response capabilities and would increase the number of Supreme Court police officers.
The justices cited a pattern of escalating threats against federal judges nationwide. The U.S. Marshals Service reported 564 threats against judges in the government fiscal year ending in September, representing an increase from the previous year. Barrett’s residence was targeted by a swatting call—a fake emergency report designed to provoke a police response—in May. Her sister was the subject of a bomb threat in South Carolina the previous year. In 2022, authorities arrested a man near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home who was carrying weapons and restraints shortly after a draft opinion on abortion rights was leaked publicly.
Kagan noted that threats to the Supreme Court escalated following the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and have continued to grow. Chief Justice John Roberts condemned the threats in a March speech, stating that while criticism of judicial decisions is legitimate, personally directed hostility toward judges is “dangerous, and it’s got to stop.” The appearance marked the first Supreme Court justice testimony before Congress since 2019.