WASHINGTON—A bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. Greg Stanton and Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., to permanently extend security protection of Supreme Court Justices outside the Supreme Court grounds earned unanimous support from the U.S. House today.
Current law authorizes the Supreme Court Police to protect Justices—however, the authority to protect them outside of Supreme Court grounds is temporary and set to expire at the end of this year. Stanton and Steube’s bill, H.R. 4258, would remedy that by permanently extending the security authorization.
“With the increase of potential threats against the Justices of the Supreme Court in recent years, and the current authorization set to expire on December 29 of this year, this bill is needed to remove the threat of disruptions and security gaps caused by temporary authority,” Stanton said during debate on the House floor. “It is critically important that we protect the Justices of the highest court in the land.”
The permanent authority provided by H.R. 4258 allows for long-term management of protective activities. It also clarifies that protection for the Justices outside of the United States is included, should the need arise.
Additionally, the bill would provide parity between the Supreme Court Police and the Capitol Police and Secret Service.
Threats against Supreme Court Justices have increased in line with threats against lawmakers, which are on track to exceed a record-breaking number reported in 2018 according to CNN. [Source]
Stanton’s full remarks are available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWMa7IRf6bo&t=1s