Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett shared with the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that escalating threats against federal judges have reached a point where she had to explain the use of a bulletproof vest to her 12-year-old son. The justice recounted the experience, stating, "I didn't know how to respond because maybe I lack imagination, but I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was, and why I had to wear one."
Barrett's testimony highlighted the personal toll that security concerns have taken on her family, particularly in the wake of the 2022 leak of the Dobbs decision, which she said intensified threats against her life.
Swatting Incident and Anonymous Packages
Barrett detailed a swatting incident that occurred at her home in May. She explained that her teenage son and his friends were present when police arrived at her residence after receiving a false report of gunshots. Supreme Court police were able to intervene and inform local law enforcement that it was a false alarm, preventing officers from entering the home.
She also mentioned that she and other justices have received anonymous packages addressed in the name of Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, who was fatally attacked in 2020. The perpetrator in that case was an attorney who posed as a delivery driver and targeted Judge Salas, seriously injuring her husband.
"I think the message on these deliveries being sent in his name is clear," Barrett stated. "As Justice Kagan said, federal judges across the country, throughout the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, continue to do their jobs without fear or favor, but the threat level is really high."
Increased Security Funding Request
The testimonies of Justices Barrett and Elena Kagan before Congress underscored the Supreme Court's request for a 10% budget increase for fiscal year 2027. Approximately $16.6 million of the requested $20.7 million increase is earmarked for enhanced security measures for the justices.
Justice Kagan noted that the justices have experienced a 35% increase in threats in 2026, compared to a 25% increase the previous year, emphasizing that recent budget growth is directly attributable to these security expenses. She stated, "For some of us, those threats have come very close and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize."
Kagan recalled that upon her arrival at the Supreme Court in 2010, justices did not have round-the-clock personal protection. Security primarily focused on guarding the building, with justices only receiving escorts during official public events. She indicated that heightened attention to justices' security began after Justice Antonin Scalia's death in 2016, noting that Scalia had declined personal security for a hunting trip where he later died.
Kagan referenced a conversation with then-Representatives Darrell Issa and Elijah E. Cummings, who urged Chief Justice John Roberts to increase judicial security. "This was how the Chief described it to us — they said, kind of like, 'We think you're crazy, you know, that you have less security than the director of the Office of Personnel Management does. And we think that you have to do better.'"
The Dobbs leak, Kagan added, further amplified the urgency surrounding security measures, and she expressed gratitude to Congress for their engagement on the issue over the past decade.