Supreme Court justices have full-time security provided by two federal agencies. The Supreme Court Police guard the justices at the Court building, around Washington, D.C., and at their homes, while the U.S. Marshals Service takes over when a justice travels elsewhere in the country. Since 2022, that coverage has expanded to include justices’ immediate families and 24/7 protection at every justice’s private residence.
Who Guards the Justices in Washington
The Supreme Court of the United States Police Department is a full-service federal law enforcement agency whose sole job is protecting the Court, its justices, its employees, and its visitors.1Supreme Court Police. Who We Are Officers screen everyone entering the building, secure the courtroom during sessions, staff dignitary protection details for justices at home and abroad, and provide security at justices’ residences.
Their legal authority is broad. Under 40 U.S.C. § 6121, the Marshal of the Supreme Court and the Court’s police force can protect the Chief Justice, any Associate Justice, and any official guest of the Court in any state, and they can make arrests for federal or state violations while doing so. A 2022 amendment to that statute also authorizes protection for the immediate family members of the Chief Justice, Associate Justices, and Court officers whenever the Marshal determines it is necessary.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 40 USC 6121 – General
Who Protects Justices When They Travel
Once a justice leaves the Washington area, the U.S. Marshals Service picks up the protective detail, typically at the request of the justice or the Supreme Court Marshal.3U.S. Marshals Service. Judicial Security The statutory basis is 28 U.S.C. § 566, which authorizes the Marshals Service to provide personal protection to federal judges, court officers, witnesses, and other threatened individuals when criminal intimidation could interfere with the judicial process.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 566 – Powers and Duties
Because coverage passes cleanly between the two agencies, a justice is never left without a dedicated security team, whether hearing oral arguments, speaking at a law school across the country, or at home.
Security at Justices’ Homes
Justices’ residences sit in ordinary neighborhoods rather than behind federal perimeters, which makes them the hardest places to protect. After the attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in June 2022, the Marshals Service began providing 24/7 security at every justice’s private home. That responsibility strained the agency, and the judiciary is now shifting residential protection to the Supreme Court Police. The fiscal year 2026 budget requests $26.8 million and 123 new positions to complete the transition.5U.S. Courts. The Judiciary Fiscal Year 2026 Congressional Budget Summary
Why Protections Expanded After 2022
Around 1:05 a.m. on June 8, 2022, two Deputy U.S. Marshals guarding Justice Kavanaugh’s Maryland home saw a man get out of a taxi outside the residence. Nicholas Roske had flown from California carrying a firearm and ammunition, later telling a 911 dispatcher he was having homicidal thoughts and intended to kill the justice. Local police took him into custody. In October 2025, Roske was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release after pleading guilty to attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice.6U.S. Department of Justice. Nicholas Roske Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Attempted Murder of Supreme Court Justice
The incident pushed legislation already moving through Congress across the finish line. The Supreme Court Police Parity Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-148) amended 40 U.S.C. § 6121 to let the Supreme Court Police protect the immediate families of justices and Court officers, closing a gap that had left family members without dedicated coverage.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 40 USC 6121 – General
Threats against the federal judiciary have been climbing for years. The Marshals Service recorded 403 threats against 302 judges in fiscal year 2022, 630 threats against 455 judges in FY 2023, 509 threats against 379 judges in FY 2024, and 564 threats against 396 judges in FY 2025.7U.S. Marshals Service. Protective Investigations – Threat Statistics The Justice Department has said threats to federal judges have doubled over historic norms. Supreme Court justices, deciding the most visible cases, absorb a disproportionate share of that hostility.
Protecting Justices’ Personal Information
Physical security cannot fix a home address anyone can find online. Congress addressed that with the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, named for the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who was shot and killed in 2020 by a gunman who had located the family’s address online.8U.S. Courts. Congress Passes the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act Enacted in December 2022 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, the law bars data brokers from reselling federal judges’ personally identifiable information, lets judges redact personal details from government websites, and prohibits other businesses and individuals from publishing that information absent a legitimate news or public interest purpose.
A separate criminal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 119, makes it a federal crime to knowingly publish a federal judge’s restricted personal information with intent to threaten or intimidate them, or knowing the information will be used to facilitate violence, punishable by up to five years in prison.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 119 – Protection of Individuals Performing Certain Official Duties
Criminal Penalties for Threatening a Justice
Federal law treats threats against Supreme Court justices as a serious offense. Under 18 U.S.C. § 115, threatening a federal judge with intent to interfere with or retaliate for the performance of official duties carries up to 10 years in prison. A threat that specifically involves assault carries up to six years.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 115 – Influencing, Impeding, or Retaliating Against a Federal Official by Threatening or Injuring a Family Member The statute names Supreme Court justices among the protected officials and extends coverage to their immediate family members. Those penalties are separate from any charges the underlying conduct might carry, and the Marshals Service investigates and refers cases for federal prosecution.
What Happens After a Justice Retires
Protection does not end automatically when a justice steps down. The Marshals Service may continue to protect a retired justice based on a threat assessment, using the same authority in 28 U.S.C. § 566 that covers “threatened persons” whose safety could affect the judicial process.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 566 – Powers and Duties The agency uses its discretion to decide whether a retired justice still faces credible threats and allocates resources accordingly, and Congress has moved in recent years to extend Supreme Court Police protection to retired and former justices and their immediate families.
What Justice Security Costs
The judiciary’s fiscal year 2026 budget requests $163.1 million for the Supreme Court’s salaries and expenses account, which funds the Court’s police force. That includes the $26.8 million to complete the residential security transition and $2 million to expand protective intelligence capabilities for the justices. The broader Court Security account run through the Marshals Service, which pays for protective guard services, security systems, and equipment across the federal courthouse system, totals $892 million for FY 2026, an increase of $141.9 million over FY 2025.5U.S. Courts. The Judiciary Fiscal Year 2026 Congressional Budget Summary Those year-over-year jumps reflect both the expanding threat environment and the ongoing cost of 24/7 residential protection that did not exist before 2022.