Two House Republicans are raising concerns about the safety of Supreme Court justices following the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who chairs one of the panel’s subcommittees, on Tuesday sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding a staff briefing on measures taken to enhance security for the nine judges.
“[I]In light of the heightened rhetoric and recent assassination attempt on President Trump, we remain concerned about the safety of all judicial branch employees – including and especially the safety of Supreme Court justices,” they wrote in the letter.
The safety of judges has been a growing concern even before Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, where a gunman nearly killed the former president and injured his right ear. The shooting, which also resulted in the death of one rally attendee and serious injuries to two others, prompted the resignation of the Secret Service director on Tuesday.
For the judges, concerns came to a head two years ago, after the release of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion that nullified constitutional protections for abortion.
The following month, a man was charged with the attempted murder of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for showing up outside his home with a gun. Congress approved new funding to extend security protections to judges’ families, which has since been followed by additional budget requests.
Garland defended his department’s efforts to increase security resources for judges and criminally prosecute people who threaten them.
Jordan and Issa’s letter on Tuesday extensively criticizes attacks on the court by “left-wing groups and partisan activists.”
The pair also took aim at Senate Democrats’ rhetoric and recent Supreme Court oversight proposals, as well as the introduction of articles of impeachment by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, two of the court’s main leaders. conservatives.
“All of these tactics are intended to intimidate conservative judges for their official actions,” wrote Jordan and Issa, who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Internet, Courts and Intellectual Property.
Jordan and Issa requested a briefing by Aug. 6 on the Justice Department’s efforts to beef up security for judges. The US Marshals Service, which provides protection to judges, is under the Department of Justice.
Ministers are also protected by the Supreme Court Police, who are supervised by the court itself.
Appearing before the Jordan committee last month, Garland said the security of judges was “in our highest priority range” and that 70 delegates were working daily on their protection details.
“For the first time in history, an attorney general, namely me, has ordered every judge to obtain 24/7 protection for themselves and their families at home and on their travels,” Garland said.
Updated at 12:49 pm EDT
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
