House passes bill to increase security for Supreme Court justices, families

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The House passed a bill Tuesday that would allow around-the-clock security protection for families of Supreme Court justices.
• An armed man was arrested last week near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house after threatening to kill him.
• The bill was passed on a large bipartisan vote, 396-27, with all of the “no” votes being Democrats.

The House passed a bill Tuesday to increase Supreme Court Police protection for families of Supreme Court justices. The vote comes after an armed man was arrested last week for the attempted murder of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Protests outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices started after the leak of the Supreme Court draft document suggesting the court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade. The event prompted calls for increased security for the justices and their families.

The bill was first introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) in May. Last month, the legislation cleared the Senate by unanimous consent. It was passed on a large bipartisan vote, 396-27, with all of the “no” votes coming from Democrats.

The bill is sent to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Most Democrats in the New Jersey delegation did not vote for the bill’s passing as it doesn’t extend to lower court judges, an aide to one of the members said.

After the shooting of a New Jersey federal judge’s home in 2020, Rep. Mikie Sherill (D-N.J.) introduced a bill creating a way for judges to protect their personal information The bill, however, is stuck in committee.

Other Democrat lawmakers voted ‘no’ because they wanted it to be linked to legislation to protect abortion providers, according to Politico.

The bill drew criticism from Republican lawmakers when it stalled in the House for almost a month after the Senate passed it.

“If these reports are correct, an assassination attempt against a sitting justice, or something close to it,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week, CNN reports.

“This is exactly the kind of event that many feared that terrible breach of the Court’s rules and norms could fuel,” McConnell added. He went on to criticize the House for not passing the security measure sooner.

House Democrats were seeking to expand the scope of the bill to include protection for clerks and other staff members.

Source: CBS News