Supreme Court justices push Congress to boost security funding: "Threats have come very close"

Key Points:

• Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett urged Congress to increase funding for enhanced security due to rising threats against justices, highlighting that threats have come very close to some members.
• The Supreme Court is requesting over $228 million for the next fiscal year, including $14.6 million specifically for expanding security personnel and travel protection for justices outside Washington, D.C.
• Recent years have seen a significant rise in threats to federal judges and justices, including violent incidents and intimidation tactics such as "swatting" and "pizza doxxing," prompting concerns about the safety of judicial officers and their families.
• Both justices emphasized that while court rulings are subject to criticism, intimidation and personal attacks by political figures are dangerous and undermine judicial independence.
• Lawmakers expressed bipartisan support for providing sufficient funding to ensure judicial security, and justices also addressed questions on the court's code of conduct, caseload, and improvements in handling emergency requests on the shadow docket.