Chris Lange, FISM News
The Senate on Monday unanimously approved a bill to expand protections for Supreme Court justices and their families in the wake of the public doxing and harassment of conservative bench members and their families.
The “Supreme Court Police Parity Act” introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) will potentially enhance security protections for justices and their families. The measure will also give the Supreme Court Police the authority to arrest anyone who attempts to interfere with its official duties and create a new criminal penalty for anyone who attempts to obstruct the court from carrying out its duties.
The bill will now go to the House for a vote. If approved, it will then go to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
“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 statement following the vote. “I’m glad the Senate quickly approved this measure to extend Supreme Court police protection to family members, and the House must take up and pass it immediately,” he added.
“I am glad to see this bipartisan bill unanimously pass the Senate in order to extend security protection to the families of Supreme Court members,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) relayed in the statement. Coons was crucial in helping speed the measure through his side of the chamber.
Sen. Cornyn introduced the bill last week after a pro-abortion group posted the home addresses of conservative justices in the wake of the leaked opinion. Since then, pro-abortion activists have been protesting outside of the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, screaming pro-choice taglines through megaphones and brandishing signs. Several news outlets have reported that Justice Samuel Alito, who penned the draft opinion, and his family had to be taken to a safe location after his home was targeted by protesters amid threats and violence that occurred over the weekend.
Douglas Blair, a news editor for The Daily Signal, who witnessed protests outside Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh’s home said they were “one of the scariest things” he’s ever witnessed in a “Fox & Friends” interview on Monday.
“This is an attempt at intimidation. And I think it really says a lot, too, that the Biden administration is willing to absolutely let these justices out to dry. They’re not going to say, ‘It’s not acceptable for you to go to somebody’s house and yell and scream.’ That’s not how we do it in this country,” Blair said.
The Justice Department continues its silence on the threats and protests carried out against appointed Supreme Court justices, even though they are in direct violation of a federal law that prohibits attempts to influence federal officials and the outcome of a court case. Federal U.S. Code 1507, states that any individual who “pickets or parades” with the “intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer” near a U.S. court or “near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer” will be fined, or “imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”
The White House finally condemned the protesters’ actions Monday after justifying them last week.
“@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Monday. “Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety,” she wrote.
This statement was in stark contrast to the tone taken by the White House on Thursday when Psaki was asked if President Biden condoned the doxing and intimidation of Supreme Court justices.
“I think the president’s view is that there’s a lot of passion, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness from many, many people across this country about what they saw in that leaked document,” she responded, later adding, “The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights that have been law for 50 years. Their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own healthcare are at risk. That’s why people are protesting. They’re unhappy. They’re scared.”
Psaki also refused to condemn the unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion.
“There is an effort to distract from what [the] actual issue [is] here…many Republicans who are trying to overturn a woman’s fundamental rights try to make this about the leak. This is not about the leak.” Psaki insisted.
Republican lawmakers have expressed outrage over the intimidation tactics employed by far-left activists.
“Radical Democrats protesting outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices is disgusting,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted late Monday. “Just like Marxists and communists, they’re willing to burn down our institutions to get what they want.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined in the condemnation, writing, “Justices stalked at home, a security fence at the Supreme Court, churches stormed and Pro-Life offices firebombed is the latest reminder of how the left has no problem with violence & lawlessness by people they agree with.”