BREAKING🚨 A Supreme Court justice just told Congress she had to explain to her kids what a bulletproof vest was and why she was wearing one.
Amy Coney Barrett said it in a House hearing on Tuesday, describing how threats against her got so intense she was issued a vest, something she struggled to explain to her 12-year-old son.
She and Justice Elena Kagan were on Capitol Hill making the case for more money to protect judges. It was the first time sitting justices have testified before Congress since 2019.
Barrett described a swatting attack on her home about six weeks ago. One of her teenage sons opened the door to go out with friends and found the street full of police cars, responding to a false report of gunshots and raised voices inside the house. Supreme Court Police stationed outside intercepted the county officers and told them it was a fake alarm, which is the only reason police never tried to enter the home.
She wasn’t alone. Barrett said many judges, including her, have received threatening anonymous deliveries meant to intimidate them.
Trump has consistently threatened federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, leading to a culture where judges simply do not feel safe.
Federal judges around the country have been sent unsolicited pizzas ordered in the name of the son of Judge Esther Salas, a young man who was shot and killed in 2020 when a gunman came to his mother’s New Jersey home.
Kagan told lawmakers the court expects a 38% jump in threats this year. Since January alone, there have been 512 federal investigations into threats against judges.
Last year Barrett’s own sister was the target of a bomb threat in South Carolina.
The court is asking Congress for about $14.6 million more to expand protection for justices and their families, including at their homes.
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