Bipartisan Coalition of 45 State Attorneys General Demands Full Funding for Supreme Court Security Amid 57% Threat Surge

Citing escalating violence and personal intimidation targeting federal jurists, the unprecedented national coalition petitioned congressional appropriators for emergency protective details and command posts.

WASHINGTON — Demonstrating rare and overwhelming national unity across partisan lines, a bipartisan coalition of 45 state and territorial attorneys general has sent a formal petition to congressional leadership demanding full and immediate appropriation of the Supreme Court’s emergency security budget for fiscal year 2027.

The joint letter, delivered to House and Senate appropriations chairs as the federal government commenced the new fiscal year on October 1, highlights an alarming escalation in political violence, targeted harassment, and credible threats against the federal judiciary. The state prosecutors cited official U.S. Marshals Service data documenting a staggering 57% surge in “security incidents of significant concern” directed at federal jurists during fiscal year 2025.

Organized under the auspices of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and led by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Tennessee, the coalition warned that chronic funding gaps in personal protection infrastructure leave the nation’s highest jurists dangerously vulnerable to domestic extremists.

Specific Appropriations Requests for High Court Protection

The attorneys general urged lawmakers to approve the judiciary’s full, unreduced budget request, specifically targeting funds designed to harden defenses around the Justices’ personal residences and daily travel routes:

• $14.6 Million for Protective Personnel: Dedicated funding to expand the permanent Supreme Court Police protective detail, hiring additional specialized officers and intelligence analysts to monitor digital threats and physical stalkers.
• $2.0 Million for Residential Command Center: Capital allocations to establish a dedicated, off-site command and communications post operated jointly by the Supreme Court Police and the U.S. Marshals Service to provide 24/7 surveillance and emergency tactical dispatch for the Justices’ private homes.
• Enhanced Judicial Privacy: Accelerated implementation of federal statutory protections under the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, which restricts the unauthorized commercial sale and online distribution of judges’ home addresses and personal identifying records.

A Chilling Roster of Threats and Past Violence

The coalition’s letter detailed a grim series of recent events that have heightened concerns among federal law enforcement. The prosecutors referenced the harrowing 2022 attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside his Maryland home, as well as the tragic 2020 murder of Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who was fatally shot at the family’s New Jersey residence by an aggrieved litigant posing as a delivery driver.

The attorneys general emphasized that the threat environment has evolved beyond isolated disputes into coordinated digital harassment and doxxing campaigns fueled by hyper-partisan political rhetoric. In their letter, the prosecutors warned that when judges fear for the physical safety of their families, the foundational constitutional principle of judicial independence is placed under direct assault.

Broad Bipartisan Consensus Across Fifty States

The participation of 45 state attorneys general represents an extraordinary degree of consensus during a period marked by deep polarization between Republican and Democratic state legal officers. State prosecutors who routinely oppose one another in federal constitutional lawsuits united behind the principle that the physical security of the bench must remain inviolable.

“An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of our constitutional republic,” the attorneys general wrote. “Judges must be free to decide cases based on the law and the facts, entirely without fear of violent retaliation, harassment, or personal harm against their families. Providing adequate resources to secure the Supreme Court is not a partisan matter; it is an urgent national necessity.”

Legislative Path in Congress

While the federal government is currently operating under a stopgap continuing resolution through December 11, the letter puts direct pressure on congressional appropriators to include the full $16.6 million judicial security package in the upcoming full-year omnibus spending bill.

Congressional leadership on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees has signaled receptive interest in the request. As the Supreme Court opens its 2026-2027 term with contentious cases on its docket, the push from the nation’s chief legal officers ensures that judicial protection will remain a priority in upcoming Capitol Hill budget negotiations.

The Broader Threat Environment Facing the Federal Bench

The petition from 45 state attorneys general reflects systemic vulnerabilities extending across all three tiers of the federal judicial system. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, federal magistrates, district judges, and circuit judges handled over 350,000 cases last year, operating in courthouses and communities where partisan tensions frequently spill into personal hostility. Digital harassment, swatting attempts, and coordinated intimidation campaigns have increasingly targeted judges overseeing controversial constitutional, commercial, and criminal proceedings.

State law enforcement leaders emphasized that state and local police departments are often the first responders called to protect federal judges’ residences when acute threats arise. By securing dedicated federal appropriations for 24/7 command centers and rapid-deployment protective details, state attorneys general aim to ensure a seamless security perimeter that insulates judicial decision-making from external coercion and violent interference.