Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are scheduled to appear before a House Appropriations subcommittee next week to discuss the Supreme Court's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. This rare joint appearance on Capitol Hill comes as the court requests a $20.5 million increase in its budget, with a substantial portion earmarked for bolstering security for the justices.
The proposed budget includes $14.6 million specifically for strengthening security protections for the justices and an additional $2 million to cover security costs at their residences. The funding would also support the hiring of 25 additional full-time Supreme Court Police officers. The court's total budget request for fiscal year 2027 is $228 million.
This request follows a period of heightened security concerns for federal judges. In January, Congress approved a $30 million increase for the Supreme Court's security budget, which is expected to cover expenses through September 2028. At the time of that approval, the U.S. Marshals Service had tracked 166 threats against federal judges since October 1 of the previous year, compared to over 560 threats made the year before that.
Security measures for Supreme Court justices have been notably enhanced since May 2022, following the leak of the draft opinion that ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade. The U.S. Marshals Service began providing 24/7 security at the justices' private homes at that time. These protections remained in place after an attempted assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside his Maryland home in the months that followed.
More recently, Justice Barrett was the subject of an apparent swatting incident at her Virginia home in May, where a false report of gunshots prompted a police response that was quickly determined to be a hoax. Authorities also investigated a bomb threat targeting Barrett's sister at her South Carolina home last year, which also turned out to be a hoax.
Chief Justice John Roberts highlighted in his 2024 year-end report that threats against federal judges have more than tripled over the past decade, with the U.S. Marshals Service investigating over 1,000 serious threats in the preceding five years. Justice Neil Gorsuch has also spoken about the rise in violence against the judiciary and the potential ripple effects of leaks from the court.
The last time Supreme Court justices testified before Congress to discuss the court's budget was in 2019, when Justice Kagan and Justice Samuel Alito appeared before a subcommittee. Justices Barrett and Kagan's upcoming testimony underscores the court's focus on security in light of increasing threats.