2 House Judiciary Democrats Urge Chief Justice to Call for More Security for Judges

The federal judiciary’s policymaking body also has warned that the court system is underfunded and vulnerable amid rising threats to judges.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and other Democratic members of Congress speak at a press briefing ahead of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s testimony before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in Washington on June 3, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Two top House Judiciary Democrats have called on U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to request more help from Congress to protect federal judges and court personnel, citing an alarming surge in threats and chronic underfunding of the court system’s security infrastructure.

In a letter sent on April 21, Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), who leads the Courts Subcommittee, asked Roberts whether the federal judiciary needs additional authorities or funding to ensure safety and independence, and if so, to ask Congress for help.

“We write to you about the alarming rise in threats of violence being made against federal judges, with many of these threats not being idle ones at all,” they wrote. “The whole climate of anti-judicial violence and intimidation is intolerable within our constitutional order.”

Their letter follows the release of a stark warning from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the judiciary’s policymaking body. In an April 10 funding appeal, U.S. Judges Amy St. Eve and Robert Conrad told congressional appropriators that consecutive years of flat security funding endangers the judiciary. The system is operating under a second straight year of frozen funding for courthouse protection, even as violent threats continue to escalate, they wrote in the letter.

“We have significant concerns about our ability to properly secure federal courthouses given current resource levels,” they wrote, calling the situation “unsustainable.”

The Judiciary’s Court Security account remains stuck at $750 million, the same level as in fiscal year 2023, despite a request for $797 million in its December 2024 funding appeal, the letter said. That shortfall has forced delays in security upgrades, including systems that screen entrants and control access to restricted areas.

According to the St. Eve-Conrad letter, 67 federal judges are now receiving enhanced online threat monitoring from the U.S. Marshals Service due to their roles in high-profile or politically sensitive cases.

Roughly 50 individuals have been charged with criminal threats against judges in recent years. In several instances, marshals have had to take “extraordinary measures” to protect judges under threat.

Chief Justice Roberts himself noted these dangers in his 2024 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, noting a tripling in threats over the past decade and condemning political efforts to intimidate judges or defy their rulings as a threat to the rule of law.

The judges’ letter also notes that courts cannot choose their caseloads and are constitutionally required to adjudicate all civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters brought before them, while urging Congress to restore adequate funding in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget.

“We must provide constitutionally guaranteed representation to individuals charged with federal crimes who are unable to afford an attorney. And we must pay citizens for performing their civic duty of serving on federal juries,” St. Eve and Conrad wrote. “This is a broad mission that depends on sufficient funding from Congress to carry out.”

The 2026 federal judiciary budget request is expected later this month.

Reps. Raskin and Johnson said in their letter to the chief justice that they are prepared to work with the Supreme Court to address what they suggested was a funding crisis.

“We know our constitutional democracy relies strongly on the ability of Justices and judges to carry out your duties without fear of retaliation or harm,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are your partners in this endeavor, and we urge you to call upon us to help.”