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The U.S. Marshal Service has been providing “around-the-clock” protection at the homes of all Supreme Court justices amidst violent threats after a leaked draft opinion revealed the potential demise of Roe v. Wade.
According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release published Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland attended a meeting with the Justice Department to discuss ongoing efforts to increase judicial security after the draft opinion leak caused outrage on the left.
Following orders from Garland, “the U.S. Marshals Service accelerated the provision of around-the-clock security at the homes of all Justices, among other actions, last week,” the press release announced.
The attorney general called the surge in violence and threats “unacceptable and dangerous to our democracy,” adding that the Justice Department “will not tolerate violence or threats of violence against judges or any other public servants at work, home, or any other location.”
The bolstered security for members of the nation’s highest court follows vicious threats made online, including plans to burn down or storm the Supreme Court and murder Justices and their clerks, as well as members of Congress, a memo from the Department of Homeland Security obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, states.
Following the leaked draft opinion on the Mississippi Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling expected in June, the U.S. Senate also passed legislation to boost security measures for the justices and their families.
Abortion advocates gathered at the homes of Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and John Roberts in protest of overturning the abortion law, prompting Republicans to call on the Biden administration to take action, insisting the protestors are violating federal law.
Despite attempts to intimidate the court, Justice Clarence Thomas maintained that the Supreme Court cannot be “bullied.”