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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Sept. 29, 2026 — The National Association of Attorneys General sent a letter on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of 45 state and territory attorneys general urging congressional leaders to fully fund the U.S. Supreme Court’s security needs in its Fiscal Year 2027 budget request. The attorneys general wrote that threats against federal judges have continued to multiply and increase in severity and that threats against the Supreme Court have reached a level not seen in many decades. The coalition urged Congress to provide all funding necessary to ensure the safety of the Supreme Court. The letter was led by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
As the chief legal officers of their respective states and territories, the attorneys general wrote that they have witnessed an alarming spike in threats of violence against judges at every level of government. They noted that the nation’s constitutional order depends on the checks and balances provided by Article III officials and that the Supreme Court can play its assigned role only if individual justices are free to exercise judicial independence without fear or favor.
The letter highlights recent incidents involving threats against members of the judiciary and their families. The attorneys general cited the recent swatting of Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home, the 2022 attempt to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home, and the 2020 murder of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, during an attack intended for Judge Salas. The letter also notes that the assailant had developed a dossier on Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
According to the letter, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts reported that “security incidents of significant concern” for judges surged by 57 percent in Fiscal Year 2025 and were expected to increase again in Fiscal Year 2026. The attorneys general wrote that these incidents reflect a sustained and troubling pattern and described the trend as unprecedented in modern American history.
The attorneys general also wrote that threats against jurists are particularly insidious and corrosive because the rule of law depends on judges maintaining decisional independence, including freedom from threats, intimidation, and other forms of coercion. They emphasized that those who threaten Supreme Court justices strike at an institution the entire country depends on, regardless of views about the Court’s decisions.
The coalition acknowledged the difficult choices Congress faces in stewarding taxpayer money but described the Court’s security request as an investment in the security and stability of the nation’s system of government. The attorneys general respectfully encouraged Congress to provide all funding necessary to ensure the safety of the Supreme Court.
The letter was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Joining the coalition were the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
A copy of the letter is available here.
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The National Association of Attorneys General is a nonpartisan organization of the attorneys general of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. NAAG provides a forum for exchanging knowledge, experiences, and insights on legal and law-enforcement issues and fosters bipartisan collaboration among its members to address common challenges and advance the rule of law. For more information, please visit NAAG’s website.