Supreme Court justices seek security funding in first Capitol Hill testimony in 7 years

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testified on Capitol Hill to request a major security funding boost on Tuesday. 

The appearance marks a rare departure from standard practice, representing the first time in seven years that Supreme Court justices have testified in front of Congress.

What we know:

Kagan and Barrett used the milestone hearing to ask lawmakers for an additional $14 million in funding, which would be used to hire security personnel and beef up cybersecurity; the funding is part of a larger, overall budget request of roughly $230 million that the Supreme Court is seeking from Congress.

Uptick in threats against federal judges

Dig deeper:

The request comes amid a significant uptick in threats against federal judges nationwide. Congresswoman DeLauro noted during the hearing that there were 564 threats made to federal judges last year, contributing to a 30% jump year over year.

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Justice Barrett demonstrated how the rise in threats has become personal for her family in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs leak—an unprecedented breach of Supreme Court protocol where POLITICO obtained and published a draft majority opinion indicating the court was poised to strike down Roe v. Wade.

What they’re saying:

Barrett testified that her security detail sent her home with a bulletproof vest, which she placed on her bedroom table.

“My 12-year-old son was standing in the doorway of my bedroom, and he wanted to know what it was and why I had it. And I didn’t know how to respond,” Barrett said.

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Barrett also confirmed that she had previously received threatening deliveries sent in the name of Daniel Anderl. Anderl was the only son of New Jersey Federal Judge Esther Salas and was shot and killed when a man showed up to their home in 2020 intending to go after the judge.

While there appears to be broad bipartisan support for granting the court’s request, some court watchers suggest demanding changes by leveraging the “Power of the Purse”—the constitutional authority that grants Congress the ability to tax and spend public money for the national government.