The essentials
U.S. Marshals documented 564 threats against federal judges, with Supreme Court justices among recent targets of swatting and assassination attempts.
The U.S. Marshals Service documented 564 threats against federal judges during the fiscal year, reflecting escalating security concerns across the judiciary. Recent incidents underscore the severity of the threat landscape, including a swatting incident at Justice Barrett's home and a bomb threat targeting her sister in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2022, a would-be assassin was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh's residence, demonstrating that threats have extended to physical proximity of justices' private locations.
These incidents occur against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to bolster judicial security. The documented threat count represents a concrete metric of the challenges facing federal judges, while specific incidents involving Supreme Court justices illustrate the range of threats from prank calls to credible assassination attempts. Law enforcement and judicial officials continue to assess protective measures in response to this documented threat environment.
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Marshals data reveals scale of judicial security challenge
The 564 documented threats provide quantitative evidence of the security environment facing federal judges. This metric encompasses diverse threat categories from communications-based threats to physical proximity incidents, establishing a baseline for understanding the frequency and nature of hostile actions directed at the judiciary.
High-profile cases illustrate range of threats from swatting to assassination
Specific incidents targeting Supreme Court justices—including swatting, bomb threats, and an actual arrest of a would-be assassin—demonstrate that threats span multiple categories and escalation levels. The targeting of justices' family members and residences indicates that threat actors employ varied methods and extend targets beyond judges themselves.