Supreme court justices testify to House on budget request to increase security

Supreme Court justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify before the House appropriations committee on Capitol Hill on 14 July 2026 in Washington DC. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Supreme Court justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify before the House appropriations committee on Capitol Hill on 14 July 2026 in Washington DC. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Supreme court justices testify to House on budget request to increase security Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett appear before House lawmakers to request more security for the judiciary Supreme court justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are testifying Tuesday in front of House lawmakers to discuss the court’s budget request, particularly the need for increased security for the judiciary. The justices appearing before lawmakers confirmed that each justice was assigned “between four and eight members of the security detail”. Barrett added that “in particular moments” when a member of the bench was under particular threat, the number increased. “We’d like to increase that over time when we get to our full staffing needs,” Kagan added. Democrat Steny Hoyer, the ranking member of the appropriations subcommittee, welcomed the justices and noted that appearances by supreme court justices used to be more common. The last time a sitting justice answered questions on Capitol Hill was 2019. “With a deeply divided country and increasingly violent rhetoric being directed at judges, Congress must provide sufficient funding to ensure the safety of all judicial personnel,” Hoyer added in his opening statement. “At the same time, while we take measures to protect the physical safety of judges and court staff, Congress also has a responsibility to safeguard the independence of our judiciary and its ability to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. Part of that is making certain that there is adequate funding for the public defenders.” During her opening statement, Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member of the House appropriations committee, said that the supreme court must provide more transparency through “increased financial disclosure requirements and a binding, enforceable code of ethics”. This comes after justice Clarence Thomas faced heavy scrutiny for accepting luxury travel, private jet flights and extended vacations from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow without reporting them on annual financial disclosures, per several reports . DeLauro said the court’s formal code of conduct, implemented in 2023 and only requiring voluntary disclosures, was “woefully insufficient”. “This to provide the public with the reassurance that they deserve that when a decision is handed down, it is the result of rigorous constitution analysis, not private parochial interests,” the Connecticut Democrat added. Barrett outlined before lawmakers examples of how her security had increased since joining the bench, particularly after the Dobbs