Bill that would increase security for families of Supreme Court justices is stalled in House
A bipartisan Senate-passed bill that would expand security protection to the immediate family members of Supreme Court justices has stalled in the House.
By Daniella Diaz, CNN
A bipartisan Senate-passed bill that would expand security protection to the immediate family members of Supreme Court justices has stalled in the House, raising questions from senators on why it hasn’t passed in the wake of an arrest outside the home of a Supreme Court justice.
The questions come hours after an armed man was arrested near Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home after making threats against the Supreme Court justice, according to a court spokesperson.
The man was arrested at about 1:50 a.m. ET Wednesday, the spokesperson said. He was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District, who said the man arrested is from California.
When asked about the legislation, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he had a conversation with Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware about the legislation on Tuesday, adding: “I hope we’re close.”
He added: “We think employees ought to be protected.”
The House hasn’t taken up the bill, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent in May.
The legislation must be passed by the House before going to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reacted angrily to the report about Kavanaugh’s home on the Senate floor Wednesday.
“If these reports are correct, an assassination attempt against a sitting justice, or something close to it,” McConnell said on the floor. “This is exactly the kind of event that many feared that terrible breach of the Court’s rules and norms could fuel.”
The top Senate Republican also complained the House had not quickly approved the Senate-passed bill.
Coons told CNN on Wednesday he is still working with the House on a compromise to enhance security, which could include extending protection to clerks and other staff.
“I’ve actually been engaging with several House members about how we come to a negotiated compromise on that bill and move it forward promptly,” said Coons, noting that the main sticking point is “a relatively simple issue of whether or not the scope of it also includes clerks and other staff.”
“I think we can find a compromise in, in allowing the discretion of what police or public safety resources are dedicated to be at the discretion of the head of public safety related to the Supreme Court,” he told reporters.
There has been a rise in threats against the court amid the national abortion rights debate and protests that have taken place across the US. The Department of Homeland Security issued a memo last month warning law enforcement that there are potential threats to members of the Supreme Court after a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.
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