Why Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are testifying before Congress

Two Supreme Court Justices will be on Capitol Hill next week to beg for cash for an increase in security needs.

Politico reported on Tuesday that Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan would appear before the House and Senate Appropriations Committees next week, requesting further funds for their security. The court has produced slick new videos showing off its security force as a kind of smaller secret service outfit with its own new tagline: “The highest court. A higher calling.”

"[W]ith little fanfare, the size of the Supreme Court’s police force has begun mushrooming. For years, the force sat at fewer than 200 officers, but now officials are aiming to more than double the ranks of the agents and officers who protect the justices and the Supreme Court’s building," the report said.

The push is likely coming from the increased threats to justices amid some of President Donald Trump's more public legal battles. Trump has faced off against state and federal courts, and last week the Court denied his request to review the verdict in a defamation case against him. The Court also struck down his executive order that would have ended birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

Trump lashed out at the conservative court on Truth Social, saying the GOP justices have "gone weak, stupid, and bad, completely violating what they ‘supposedly’ stood for."

His hasn't been the only language of attack. Speaking to the Federalist Society, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whom Trump has nominated to be his official AG, told a room full of lawyers in Nov. 2025 that the Department of Justice, indeed the whole Trump administration, is at “war” with federal district courts. He alleged “rogue activist judges” were at fault.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which oversees security for the federal judiciary, reported it investigated nearly 600 serious threats against federal judges in 2025.

So, it isn't unusual that the Supreme Court would be looking for help, too.

“The justices are averse to the intrusion into their personal lives that comes with increased security, but they are resigned to the need for it both personally and for the court as an institution,” a former court staffer told Politico.

The report assessed that the Court has never been as "central to the political system" as it has been recently. Politico described "it snarling the pre-election prosecution of Donald Trump, blocking the president’s tariffs [and] scaling back the Voting Rights Act" as a few examples.

It all comes as the Court remains largely secret to most Americans. The nine robed lawyers are never seen doing their jobs because cameras are barred from the Court. The new use of the "shadow docket" has left legal analysts questioning whether decisions they make are intended to be hidden. Even when justices read their rulings and dissents, there is no audio, much less video, and staff can't merely text colleagues with the details; a low-level news staffer grabs decisions printed on paper and races them to their bosses in the media.

In the past few years, Supreme Court approval has dropped as low as 39 percent last year and now stands at about 46 percent.

Calls for oversight and accountability for the judges persist.

"Court officials are loath to discuss the security measures being undertaken to protect the justices," the report said. "But the portrait of an institution straining to transform itself and its security apparatus comes into focus through an in-depth review of budget documents and videos posted on an officer-hiring website, as well as interviews with court insiders and little-noticed public comments by the justices."

Meanwhile, justices are complaining that the increased attention has led to drastic changes in their lives and in how they interact with the public. In some cases, the report said they must limit where they can go. It's a problem elected officials have dealt with for decades.

“We provide money for the Supreme Court,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in an April comment. “They’ve never come up and tell us what they’re doing with the money that we appropriate.”

Now, it appears they're en route.

The report goes on to talk about some of the security breaches that have left justices nervous. The current plan is to launch an ad campaign asking for more security staff and budget. They offer a starting salary of $86,000 with a $50,000 signing bonus if the police member signs up for 3 years of service or more.