Senators aim to quickly pass bill to expand security for families of Supreme Court justices
May 9, 2022, 2:09 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 3:15 pm
FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON D.C (CNN) — Members of the US Senate are aiming to pass a bipartisan bill that would expand security protection to the family members of justices, following protests at some Supreme Court justices’ homes over the weekend.
The push in Congress comes one week after Politico’s bombshell leaked draft of an opinion, which indicated the Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade as soon as next month.
Sens. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, and Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, introduced a bipartisan bill called the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, and are hoping to pass the legislation as soon as possible.
“The events of the past week have intensified the focus on Supreme Court Justices’ families, who are unfortunately facing threats to their safety in today’s increasingly polarized political climate,” said Cornyn in a press release. “We must act to ensure Justices and their families are protected from those who wish to cause them harm by extending Supreme Court police security to family members.”
Coons added in the release: “If the families of Supreme Court Justices have the same profile and exposure as the highest ranking officials in our government, they deserve the same level of protection. We must take threats that come from extremes on both sides of the political spectrum against Supreme Court Justices seriously, and that makes this bill an unfortunate necessity.”
Over the weekend, pro-abortion rights protesters gathered outside the private homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in Chevy Chase, Maryland, outside Washington, DC.
While protests around the country have been largely peaceful, law enforcement officials in the nation’s capital have been bracing for potential security risks. Last week, an 8-foot-tall, non-scalable fence was installed around parts of the Supreme Court building, and crews set up concrete Jersey barriers blocking the street in front of the court.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
