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House passes a bill giving police security to families of Supreme Court justices

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 9, 2022.
Patrick Semansky
/
AP
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, walks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 9, 2022.

Updated June 16, 2022 at 10:45 AM ET

A bill that would grant security to families of Supreme Court justices passed the House of Representatives this week and will now go to President Biden for a decision.

The bill proceeded on Tuesday with 396 House members voting in favor of the legislation, and 27 House members — all Democrats — voting against it.

The Supreme Court Police Parity Act would provide police protection to the immediate families of the nine justices and other officers of the court, if the "Marshal determines such protection is necessary," the legislation says.

The legislation was introduced by Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and unanimously passed the Senate last month.

"Threats to the physical safety of Supreme Court Justices and their families are disgraceful, and attempts to intimidate and influence the independence of our judiciary cannot be tolerated," Cornyn said in a previous statement.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department indicted a California man for attempting to murder Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The man was arrested near Kavanaugh's Maryland home last week.

Earlier this week, antisemitic fliers were also found near Kavanaugh's home, the Montgomery County Police Department confirmed.

In May, a protest and vigil was organized at Justice Samuel Alito's house following a leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that, if unchanged, would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that federally legalized abortions.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ayana Archie
[Copyright 2024 NPR]