Barrett, Kagan pitch added agent detail in rare Hill appearance
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett plan to appear before the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the court on Tuesday, making a rare public request for a $14.6 million security increase as personal threats against the justices have intensified in recent years.
The requested funding would give each justice six additional security agents and add 25 more officers to the Supreme Court building, according to the United Press International. The broader request for a $20.6 million increase in the court’s fiscal year 2027 budget also includes $2 million to create a residential security office that would coordinate security at justices’ homes.
The appearance would mark the first time Supreme Court justices have testified before lawmakers since 2019.
Until 2011, at least one justice had appeared before Congress every year. Since then, there have been only three such appearances.
The security request follows a series of incidents targeting the justices. A woman was sentenced to eight years in prison in October for planning to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh. In May, Barrett’s home was the target of a swatting incident, in which a caller falsely reported gunshots at her home to lure police to the scene, according to UPI.
Chief Justice John Roberts spoke out in March against personal attacks on judges after President Donald Trump criticized the justices for striking down his tariffs. “Personally directed hostility is dangerous and has got to stop,” Roberts said during a speech in Houston, according to The Washington Post, as cited in UPI’s report.
MSI previously reported that Chief Justice Roberts urged a halt to personal criticism of judges amid growing threats. The hearing Tuesday would give the justices a direct platform to make the same case to lawmakers who control the court’s budget.