Supreme Court Justices to Receive Around-the-Clock Security Amid Violent Threats

Demonstrators gather outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Va., on May 9, 2022. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Supreme Court justices will be protected around the clock amid a spike in violent threats, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

On the orders of Attorney General Merrick Garland, the U.S. Marshals Service is providing the security at the homes of all nine justices, the DOJ stated on May 18 after Garland met with Supreme Court officials in Washington.

According to a readout of the meeting, officials went over different aspects of judicial security, including intelligence sharing.

Garland, a Biden appointee, emphasized that the DOJ “will not tolerate violence or threats of violence against judges or any other public servants at work, home, or any other location.”

Ron Davis, director of the Marshals Service; Paul Abbate, FBI deputy director; Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley; and Supreme Court Police Chief Paul Coleman were among the meeting attendees.

After a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion was released indicating that the court may be poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that concluded that access to abortion was a constitutional right, justices have faced “a significant increase in violent threats,” the Department of Homeland Security stated in a memorandum obtained and published by The Washington Free Beacon, citing the Supreme Court police.

Many of the threats were made online on social media, and some are under investigation, according to the memo.

Separately, a consortium of law enforcement agencies identified at least 25 violent threats. The threats included burning down or storming the court and murdering justices and their clerks, members of Congress, and protesters.

Nobody has yet been charged with issuing violent threats or protesting outside the homes of justices, despite federal law forbidding both.

Garland and the DOJ have come under scrutiny for the lack of prosecutions, including from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The governors, both Republicans, urged federal officials on May 11 to prosecute wrongdoers, such as those violating a law that prohibits picketing or parading outside judges’ homes with the intent of influencing the judges.

“It is in your hands to ensure that applicable federal law is enforced to preserve the integrity of our American judicial system and the safety of our citizens,” the governors told Garland in a letter.

The DOJ has declined to comment on the push for prosecution.

Youngkin told Fox News on May 18 that it appears Garland won’t enforce the law.

“I don’t think he will, and he absolutely should. It’s clear in the statute that that’s illegal, and he should enforce it,” he said.