Amy Coney Barrett shares heartbreaking exchange with son, 12, after he spotted her bulletproof vest

WASHINGTON, DC: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett told lawmakers Tuesday, July 14, that escalating threats against federal judges have forced her to explain to her 12-year-old son why she needed a bulletproof vest, as she and Justice Elena Kagan urged Congress to approve additional funding to bolster security for the nation's judiciary.

Appearing before the House Appropriations Committee in the Supreme Court's first congressional testimony since 2019, Barrett said the increasing threats have affected not only the justices but also their families.

Amy Barrett recalls son's question about bulletproof vest

"They have required my children to think about and see things that children should not have to see or think about," Barrett told lawmakers.

She recounted bringing a bulletproof vest into her bedroom, where her 12-year-old son noticed it and asked what it was.

"I didn't know how to respond because maybe I lack imagination, but I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one," Barrett said.

Barrett also described a swatting incident at her home in May, when someone falsely reported gunshots at her residence. She said Supreme Court police intercepted responding local officers before they entered the home, preventing a potentially dangerous confrontation after her teenage son and his friends first noticed police surrounding the property.

The justice further revealed that she and other federal judges have received anonymous packages sent in the name of Daniel Anderl, the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, who was killed in 2020 after a gunman posing as a delivery driver targeted the judge's family.

Supreme Court seeks millions for expanded security

Barrett's testimony came as the Supreme Court requested a roughly 10% increase in its fiscal year 2027 budget, with about $16.6 million of the proposed increase earmarked for expanding security.

Overall, the court is seeking approximately $89 million for personal security costs.

Justice Elena Kagan told lawmakers threats against Supreme Court justices have risen by 35% in 2026, following a 25% increase the previous year, adding that recent growth in the court's budget has been driven almost entirely by security expenses.

Kagan said justices did not receive around-the-clock personal protection when she joined the court in 2010. Still, security concerns intensified after Justice Antonin Scalia died in 2016 and increased further following the 2022 leak of the Dobbs opinion overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

"For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize," Kagan said.

The hearing highlighted growing concerns about the safety of federal judges as the Supreme Court seeks additional resources to protect its members amid a nationwide increase in threats.