SCOTUS Justices to Testify to Congress 07/14 06:20

   Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett will make a rare 
appearance before Congress Tuesday, weeks after the end of a historic term.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett 
will make a rare appearance before Congress Tuesday, weeks after the end of a 
historic term.

   The justices are appearing before a House appropriations panel as the court 
seeks millions of dollars to beef up security amid a rise in threats to the 
judiciary.

   Judges around the country have seen a rise in threats of violence and 
intimidation, including a fake swatting call to police about Barrett's home in 
May.

   The hearing comes two weeks after the conservative-majority court finished 
handing down a series of major opinions, including a decision that increased 
President Donald Trump's power over federal regulatory agencies and another 
that rejected his wide-ranging tariffs, sparking harsh personal criticism.

   It's the first time justices have testified before Congress since 2019, and 
the two justices could face wide-ranging questions as they seek to keep focus 
on the budget.

   Security is central to the Supreme Court's budget request

   The Supreme Court requested a total of $228 million for next fiscal year, a 
roughly 10% increase over the year before. Nearly $15 million of that would go 
to expanding personal protection for justices, with six more agents for each.

   Another $2 million would fund an off-site residential security post aimed at 
making emergency responses faster, as well as increasing the number of Supreme 
Court police officers.

   The U.S. Marshals Service, responsible for protecting judges, reported 564 
threats in the government fiscal year that ended in September, an increase from 
the year before.

   That total includes threats to the hundreds of federal judges around the 
country, though the nine-member Supreme Court has not been immune.

   In May, Barrett's security detail worked with police to quickly deal with 
the call determined to be swatting, or a fake 911 call designed to provoke a 
police response. Last year, her sister was the victim of a bomb threat in 
Charleston, South Carolina, police said. No bomb was found.

   In 2022, shortly after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the Roe v. 
Wade abortion decision, a would-be assassin was arrested near the home of 
Justice Brett Kavanaugh with weapons and zip ties.

   Chief Justice John Roberts has condemned the threats to all U.S. judges, 
saying during a speech in March that criticism of judicial opinions is 
understandable, but personally directed hostility is "dangerous, and it's got 
to stop."