Attorney General Brenna Bird Urges Congress to Fully Fund Supreme Court Security
DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird joined a letter urging Congress to fully fund the U.S. Supreme Court’s Fiscal Year 2027 security request, warning that threats against the Justices and their families have become a serious and escalating danger. The bipartisan letter from 45 state attorneys general to congressional leaders, called for the resources necessary to protect the Justices, their families, and the Supreme Court as an institution and also emphasized that the Court can fulfill its constitutional role only when its Justices are able to exercise judicial independence without fear or favor.
Attorney General Bird joined this letter after successfully championing a new judicial safety bill in Iowa, one of her legislative priorities for 2026. The new Iowa law went into effect on July 1 of this year.
“Our Supreme Court Justices should be able to do their jobs and live their lives without fear for their or their family’s safety,” said Attorney General Bird. “Violence against judges is on the rise; in Iowa, I championed our new law to make threats against a judge or their family punishable by up to 10 years in prison. I am happy to join with this bipartisan group of attorneys general to ask Congress to fully fund protecting the Justices of our highest court and their families.”
The request comes as authorities document a sharp rise in threats against federal judges. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, “security incidents of significant concern” for judges spiked by 57 percent in FY 2025. Recent incidents have underscored the danger: In 2022, a gunman traveled to Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s neighborhood with the stated intent to assassinate him in his home. In 2020, an assassin murdered Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas of New Jersey, while attempting to kill Judge Salas.
The Supreme Court’s FY 2027 request includes $14.6 million to expand personal protection for the Justices as well as additional personnel to strengthen security at the Supreme Court building. It also includes $2 million for an off-site command post to coordinate residential protection for the Justices.
The coalition acknowledged that Congress faces difficult spending decisions, but it stressed that protecting the Court safeguards not only the Justices and their families but also the security and stability of the nation’s constitutional system. The letter is addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Attorney General Bird signed the letter along with the attorneys general of Connecticut, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, 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, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Read the letter here.
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For More Information:
Contact: Jen Green | jen.green@ag.iowa.gov
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