Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), called on the Justice Department to prioritize the protection of Supreme Court Justices who’ve been the targets of sustained threats following the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion last week. In a letter early this afternoon to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Grassley called on the Department to enforce existing laws that prohibit demonstrations at the homes of justices intended to intimidate or influence forthcoming court actions. Following Grassley’s letter, the department announced it is dispatching the U.S. Marshals Service to assist the Supreme Court Police with security for justices.
In the letter, Grassley noted that the White House has done little to discourage dangerous activity, even as left-wing activists publicized justices’ home addresses and organized demonstrations. Grassley also cited statutes prohibiting such targeted protests.
“The President may choose to characterize protests, riots, and incitements of violence as mere passion. But these attempts to influence and intimidate members of the federal judiciary are an affront to judicial independence. No fair-minded person can question that ‘such conduct inherently threatens the judicial process,’” Grassley wrote.
Grassley also noted the Justice Department’s swift mobilization to monitor parents voicing concerns at school board meetings last year. The threat posed to justices is far more exigent.
“After this administration chose to publicly and vigorously marshal the Justice Department’s resources in response to a letter from the administration’s allies on school boards, the tepid response to the demonstrations against the justices has been deeply concerning. It took this administration just five days to forcefully respond to a letter concerning the supposedly grave risk posed by parents seeking to have a say in how their children are taught in schools. The serious threats to the Supreme Court demand no less of a robust response,” Grassley wrote.
Grassley urged the department to publicly commit to protecting the justices and hold accountable those who seek to intimidate the court into changing its decision.
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