US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told US lawmakers on Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, that a sharp increase in threats against her and other justices is increasingly affecting their personal and family lives. Barrett shared that she once had to take a bulletproof vest home, a situation she found difficult to explain to her 12-year-old son, saying, “I didn’t expect that performing this service would put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was, why I had to wear one.”

Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan appeared before appropriations panels in both the House and Senate to support a request for increased security funding for members of the Supreme Court. Kagan also condemned political rhetoric that has heightened tensions surrounding the court.

The justices highlighted a nationwide rise in threats of violence and intimidation against judges, including fake emergency calls designed to trigger police raids and disturbing acts such as pizza deliveries made in the name of a judge’s murdered son.

This rare congressional testimony underscores growing concerns about the safety of the nation’s highest court members amid an increasingly hostile environment.

Sources