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Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett went before Congress this month to give a blunt, personal account of the rising campaign of threats against judges, including a recent attempted swatting at her home that brought the danger frighteningly close to her family. Her testimony was not theatre; it was a plea for the very security that lets judges do their jobs without fear of retaliation for unpopular rulings.
Barrett explained how the climate of intimidation has forced ordinary, private choices—bringing a bulletproof vest into the home, explaining it to a child—that no family should ever face. Those details cut through the abstractions and reminded Americans that these are real people with real children, not targets for political score-settling.
Let there be no confusion: threats and swatting are indefensible and criminal, and conservatives should be the loudest defenders of law and order when they occur. At the same time, anyone who pays attention knows that a culture of demonizing judges and normalizing vicious rhetoric on the left and in much of the media helps create this poisonous environment, a point even some Democrats acknowledged during the hearings.
Mainstream outlets and activist groups who celebrate intimidation or treat it as an acceptable tactic are failing the country; they are training a new generation to weaponize rage instead of debate. Americans who value free speech must also reject the cowardly practice of threatening public servants to reverse decisions we dislike, because the rule of law matters more than short-term political wins.
Congress now faces a simple choice: fund reasonable security measures so justices and judges can live and work without constant fear, or watch as threats escalate and our courts are chilled. The Supreme Court’s FY 2027 budget request includes increases aimed at shoring up protections for the justices, and lawmakers of good will should act swiftly to secure the independence of the judiciary.
If we are serious about preserving a free republic, we must punish those who threaten violence, call out the media and operatives who excuse it, and back judges like Amy Coney Barrett who continue to serve despite intimidation. Hardworking Americans deserve a justice system they can trust, and protecting judges is not a partisan favor but a defense of the Constitution itself.
