No Police Visible Outside Homes of Justices Roberts and Kavanaugh

A quiet street near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house in Chevy Chase, Md., on May 11, 2022. Jackson Elliott/The Epoch Times

UPDATE: By 5 p.m. on May 11, at least two police officers were on watch in a car outside Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s house.

CHEVY CHASE, Md.—At least two Supreme Court justices still have no visible police protection outside their homes, even after threats of additional protests.

On May 9, more than 100 protesters marched and demonstrated outside the residences of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justice Samuel Alito. They chanted slogans including “abort the court.”

The protests were in response to a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that suggests the court is planning to overturn Roe v. Wade. Outside the Supreme Court earlier this week, protesters have also demonstrated hostility toward Kavanaugh, chanting “[Expletive] Kavanaugh.”

According to online pages, protests outside the houses of Supreme Court justices were scheduled for May 11. Pro-abortion activist group Ruth Sent Us announced a “Walk-by Wednesday” protest outside the houses of the six conservative Supreme Court justices.

Previously, Ruth Sent Us published a Google map containing the locations of each conservative Supreme Court justice’s residence. Google has since taken down the map.

“If you’d like to join or lead a peaceful protest, let us know,” the activist group’s website reads.

Protests outside the houses of judges that interfere with them executing their duty are likely illegal. Federal law states that picketing or parading to influence judges or jurors can be punished with up to a year’s imprisonment. However, the Department of Justice has yet to announce what it will do in response to the continuing protests.

At 10 a.m. on May 11, no police stood outside Kavanaugh’s and Roberts’s Maryland residences. No police cars, uniformed security, or other security measures were visible.

Currently, Congress is working to rapidly pass the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, which would give Supreme Court justices 24-hour security for their families.

Pro-abortion activists protest outside the house of Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Md., on Sept. 13, 2021. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The act unanimously passed the Senate on May 9. It still needs to pass the House and be signed by the president to become law.

Several congressmen have said Supreme Court justices might prove vulnerable to intimidation. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said the leak leaves justices vulnerable to pressure from protests.

“The Supreme Court leak will set a disturbing precedent of inciting mob pressure to intimidate the justices before they issue a decision,” he wrote on Twitter. “For the sake of the court’s independence, this leaker must be found and punished.”

According to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), concerns over the protests outside the homes of justices are exaggerated.

“It is a little hard for me to take the hand-wringing about non-violent protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices seriously when the Supreme Court itself ruled protests outside the homes of ‘doctors who provide abortions’ [are] protected by the First Amendment,” she wrote on Twitter.

On May 6, Justice Clarence Thomas announced that the court won’t be influenced by activism.

“We can’t be an institution that can be bullied into giving you just the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that,” Thomas said.

Although there’s no visible standing protective presence outside of Roberts’s house or Kavanaugh’s house, police may be close by.

A patrol car passed the Roberts residence on May 11 at 11:01 a.m.