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Security funding request
U.S. Supreme Court justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett urged Congress on Tuesday to provide additional funding to enhance protection for the justices as they face a rise in threats, with Kagan warning that the "threats have come very close" for some members of the high court.
The justices made rare back-to-back appearances before House and Senate subcommittees to testify about the Supreme Court's budget request for the next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, as the court sought more than $228 million from congressional appropriators.
CBS News reported that part of the court's funding request includes an additional $14.6 million to expand security for the justices provided by the Supreme Court Police, which would allow for an additional six agents per member of the court.
Kagan told lawmakers that the recent increases in the court's budget have been "almost entirely" for security expenses, since the Supreme Court's in-house police force took over residential security for the justices from the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Supreme Court Police is anticipating a 38% increase in threats for 2026, Kagan said, while the Marshals Service reported a 57% rise in "security incidents of significant concern" in fiscal year 2025.
Bulletproof vest and swatting
Barrett told the House Appropriations subcommittee that the threat level against her and other federal judges "is really high," adding, "Those statistics sound abstract, but being on the receiving end of them is not."
In testimony reported by CNBC, Barrett recounted that her security detail sent her home with a bulletproof vest and that she carried it into her house, where her 12-year-old son asked what it was and why she had to wear it.
NBC News also reported that Barrett described a recent "swatting" incident in which a false report of gunshots and raised voices in her home brought police cars to her street, and Supreme Court Police helped prevent county police from attempting to enter her home.
Kagan echoed the personal impact of the threat environment, telling lawmakers, "For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize," as she testified alongside Barrett.
The hearing came as the Supreme Court sought $228.4 million for fiscal 2027, a nearly 10% rise since the $207.8 million appropriated for 2026, according to CNBC.
Rhetoric, independence, and next steps
In the same congressional appearances, Kagan warned that political intimidation poses a security risk, saying, "intimidation is a different thing entirely" and that when political figures try to intimidate judges, "that's where we really have crossed the line."
“Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan made the unusual trip to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the first time a justice has appeared before a House panel since 2019”
NBC News reported that Rep. Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, said, "Whatever one’s view of the specific Supreme Court ruling, judicial officers, up to and including the justices of the Supreme Court, must be able to do their jobs without fear for their safety or their family’s safety," while Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said Trump’s behavior was "very dangerous to the court and to our whole system."
The court’s request also tied security to operations, with Kagan telling the House that because of leaks and threats, "we can’t do our business, we can’t engage in confidential communications," as she described the need for enhanced cybersecurity.
BBC reported that Kagan said the Supreme Court police expected a 38% rise in security threats this year and that the justices were typically given between four to eight security personnel depending on the occasion.
As the Supreme Court Police and the Marshals Service data were cited during the hearings, the stakes for the next budget cycle were framed around protecting justices and judicial personnel while the court continued to seek funding for security measures and cybersecurity.
