Barrett cites elevated risks to judges in Supreme Court budget hearing
Justice Amy Coney Barrett told House appropriators that threats against federal judges are high as the Supreme Court seeks 2027 budget funding.
By Amanda Ross · Deals Correspondent
· 2 min read
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told a House appropriations panel Tuesday that threats facing her and other federal judges are elevated, making security a central issue in the court’s 2027 budget request. Barrett appeared with Justice Elena Kagan before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government.
“The threat level” against federal judges “is really high,” Barrett told the subcommittee. She added that data on threats can seem remote until experienced directly: “Those statistics sound abstract, but being on the receiving end of them is not.”
The testimony placed personal security concerns before lawmakers who review funding for the federal judiciary. The Supreme Court’s budget request for 2027 includes a request for additional security funding, according to the account of the hearing.
Barrett described being provided with a bulletproof vest by her security detail after a leak to a news outlet about an opinion that reversed the Supreme Court decision recognizing a constitutional right to abortion. She also told lawmakers she was recently targeted in a “swatting” incident, a term used for a false emergency report intended to draw a police response. In Barrett’s account, a caller falsely reported a shooting and raised voices inside her home.
Kagan testified alongside Barrett, marking the first congressional testimony by Supreme Court justices since 2019. That year, Kagan and Justice Samuel Alito appeared before the same House appropriations subcommittee to discuss the court’s budget request.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government handles funding legislation for a range of agencies and institutions, including the judiciary. Budget testimony from justices gives lawmakers a direct forum to question the court’s administrative needs, including staffing and security, separate from the court’s role in deciding cases.
The hearing comes amid heightened attention to the safety of public officials and the operational demands placed on federal courts. Barrett’s testimony focused on the lived effect of threats on judges, while the budget process determines what resources Congress may provide to address those risks.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
