Jim Jordan and Darrell Issa write to Merrick Garland on SCOTUS justices' safety after Trump's shooting

WASHINGTON, DC: Concerns about the safety of Supreme Court justices have been amplified following a recently attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump.

House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif) are pressing for more information on the measures taken to protect the justices.

Jim Jordan and Darrell Issa demand Justice Department's briefing

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Jim Jordan and Darrell Issa highlighted the ongoing concerns for judicial safety, especially for Supreme Court justices.

The letter came after a gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, at a Pennsylvania rally nearly killed Trump, leading to the death of one rally attendee, Corey Comperatore, 50, and causing critical injuries to two others.

This incident led to the resignation of the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.

“In light of the heightened rhetoric and the recent assassination attempt on President Trump, we remain concerned about the security and safety of all judicial branch officers—including and especially the safety of Supreme Court justices," the letter reads as per The Hill.

Safety concerns for Supreme Court Justices is not new

Two years ago, after the leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning constitutional abortion protections, a man was accused of attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh by showing up outside his home with a firearm.

Following this, Congress passed new funding to extend security protections for justices’ families, with additional budget requests made since then.

Attorney Garland has defended his department’s efforts to bolster security resources for the justices and prosecute those who threaten them.

He mentioned that the justices' safety was “in our highest priority band” and noted that 70 marshals were working on their protective details daily.

“For the first time in history, an Attorney General, namely myself, ordered that every Justice get 24/7 protection for himself or herself and their families at their residence and on their travel," Garland stated.

Jim Jordan and Darrell Issa's letter criticizes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s introduction of impeachment articles

The letter from Jim Jordan and Darrell Issa also criticized attacks on the court from “left-wing groups and partisan activists,” including rhetoric and proposals for Supreme Court oversight from Senate Democrats.

They specifically pointed to Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) introduction of impeachment articles against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, two of the court’s leading conservatives.

“All of these tactics are meant to intimidate conservative justices for their official actions,” wrote Jordan and Issa.

They have also requested a staff-level briefing by August 6 on the Justice Department’s efforts to bolster the justices’ security.

The US Marshals Service, which provides protection for the justices, falls under the Justice Department. The justices are also protected by the Supreme Court Police, which is supervised by the court itself.

Internet worried more about common Americans' safety than that of Superme Court justices

Netizens' response to House Republicans raising safety concerns for Supreme Court justices were mostly critical of the latter.

One user wrote, "Party that refuses all gun restrictions unsure about safety of people from gun violence."

Another commented, "I have more concerns about the safety of the Americans from the SC justices!"

Some expressed concerns about the broader implications for American democracy, with one person stating, "I'm concerned about our rights that those on the bench are stripping away."

"They should. Conservative judges are radical rights who garner a lot of hate from the majority of Americans" wrote another.

One more added that "The 'justices' are safe, American democracy under their watch is not."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.