Supreme Court Justices give chilling accounts of threats to their safety
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testified before Congress regarding the court's budget, highlighting a significant increase in security threats. The testimony underscored the shift from a previously low-security environment to one requiring extensive protection for justices.
Why it matters
The increased security needs of the Supreme Court reflect broader concerns regarding political polarization and the safety of high-level government officials.
The Supreme Court did something Tuesday that it has not done in seven years. It sent two of the justices to Capitol Hill to testify about the court's budget request for the coming year. The budget has grown dramatically in recent years because of the equally dramatic rise in the number and intensity of threats to the justices' safety.
Designated as the court's representatives were Justice Elena Kagan, appointed by President Obama, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by President Trump.
As Kagan pointed out in her testimony, it was Republican Darrell Issa and Democrat Elijah Cummings who insisted that the court beef up its security ten years ago after Justice Antonin Scalia died in his sleep on a hunting trip, with no security anywhere nearby to respond quickly.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in