Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett testified before the House Appropriations Committee about escalating security threats against federal judges, recounting a moment when her 12-year-old son asked why she needed a bulletproof vest.
"I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one," Barrett testified.
Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan presented testimony centered on a dramatic spike in threats against judges, prompting the Supreme Court to request roughly $89 million in personal security costs and seek a 10% budget increase for fiscal year 2027.
The justices detailed the human toll of the threat environment. In May, Barrett became the target of a swatting incident—a false report of gunshots at her residence that sent law enforcement to her home. Her teenage son and his friends discovered the police presence first.
Barrett also described a pattern of anonymous packages sent to justices bearing the name Daniel Anderl, a 20-year-old killed in 2020 by an attorney who posed as a delivery driver targeting U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, Anderl's mother.
"I think the message on these deliveries being sent in his name is clear," Barrett said.
Federal judges are experiencing a 35% increase in threats during 2026 compared to a 25% increase the previous year, the justices reported. Justice Kagan noted that recent budget growth for the Supreme Court has been entirely consumed by security expenses.
Kagan provided historical context on how precipitously the security environment has changed. When she joined the Supreme Court in 2010, justices did not receive around-the-clock personal protection.
The turning point came after Justice Antonin Scalia's death in 2016. After declining protection for a hunting trip in Texas, Congress pressured Chief Justice John Roberts to overhaul security protocols.
The threat environment intensified further following the leak of the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, Kagan said, describing this as the moment that "really increased the urgency of the entire thing."
Both justices expressed gratitude for congressional support. "We've been working on this now for about a decade and actually, I think, are grateful to Congress for coming to us and saying, 'You have to up your game in this area,'" Kagan said.
The Supreme Court's request for $16.6 million of the $20.7 million budget increase is specifically for expanded security.
Barrett closed her testimony by noting: "Federal judges across the country, throughout the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, continue to do their jobs without fear or favor, but the threat level is really high."
