Justices Barrett and Kagan to Testify Before Congress Seeking $228 Million for Court Security

For the first time since 2019, two Supreme Court justices will personally ask Congress to fund a major security upgrade.

Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are set to appear before Congress in a rare joint testimony to request $228 million in security funding for the Supreme Court — the first such appearance by sitting justices since 2019. The bipartisan pairing of one conservative and one liberal justice signals an effort to present a unified front on the funding request. The appearance comes amid what the court describes as rising threats to justices and the institution. Security concerns at the Supreme Court escalated sharply in 2022, when an armed man was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home and protesters gathered outside justices' private residences following the leak of the Dobbs draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. Congress has periodically increased court security funding since then, but the justices are now seeking a substantial additional appropriation.

Why it matters

The $228 million request represents a significant ask at a time of tight congressional budgets, and the outcome will directly affect the physical protection of the nation's highest court and its nine justices. The rare personal appearance underscores how seriously court leadership views the current threat environment.

What's next

The testimony before lawmakers will be the forum where Barrett and Kagan make the formal case for the funding; the outcome of that appropriations process remains to be seen.

Key facts

• The Supreme Court is requesting $228 million in security funding from Congress
• Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan will testify — a conservative and a liberal justice appearing together
• This is the first time justices have appeared before lawmakers since 2019
• Security threats against justices rose sharply after the 2022 Dobbs decision leak
• An armed man was arrested near Justice Kavanaugh's home in 2022

Bias & framing notes

Coverage was broadly consistent across outlets on the core facts. Fox News framed the appearance primarily around the security threat angle, while CNN emphasized the 'divisive Supreme Court term' as context, suggesting different editorial priorities around why the testimony is newsworthy. The $228 million figure was reported by Newsweek but not explicitly confirmed in the NYT excerpt provided.

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