Kagan Warns House Panel Threats Against Justices Up 38 Percent

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan told a House appropriations subcommittee Monday that threats against the court have risen sharply and, in her words, come dangerously close.

Justice Elena Kagan testified before a House panel Monday on Supreme Court security funding.
Supreme Court Police recorded a 38 percent increase in threats against justices this year, according to Kagan's prepared remarks.
Kagan told lawmakers the threats have 'come very close,' signaling escalating danger to sitting justices.
The testimony marks a rare appearance by a sitting justice before Congress on operational security matters.
The subcommittee is weighing appropriations that fund the Supreme Court Police and protective operations.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan told a House appropriations subcommittee Monday that threats against members of the court have surged, citing a 38 percent increase in incidents recorded by Supreme Court Police this year.

“Threats have come very close,” Kagan said in prepared remarks delivered to the panel, offering a rare firsthand account of the security pressure facing the nation’s highest court.

The testimony placed a specific number on what has been a years-long pattern of escalating hostility toward sitting justices. The Supreme Court Police, the agency responsible for protecting the court and its members, supplied the threat-count figures Kagan cited.

Kagan’s appearance before a House panel is itself unusual. Sitting justices seldom testify on Capitol Hill, and the decision to do so publicly underscores the severity of the security situation, sources familiar with the court’s posture told the Wail.

The subcommittee is currently deliberating over funding levels for judicial security operations. A committee vote on the appropriations measure is expected later this month.