US marshals called in to protect Supreme Court justices as home protests continue
WASHINGTON (TND) — Supreme Court justices met Thursday morning behind closed doors for the first time since Justice Samuel Alito’s majority draft opinion that would overrule Roe v. Wade was leaked to the media.
Over the past week, daily protests have erupted outside the Supreme Court while some pro-choice groups took their demonstrations to the justices’ homes.
Calling it “Walk-by Wednesday,” organizers planned marches in front of each of the six conservative justices’ residences.
The governors of Virginia and Maryland, where most of the justices reside with their families, call the protests illegal.
“This is just fundamentally wrong to have people showing up at the justices' homes and trying to influence and intimidate them,” said Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Youngkin and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking him to enforce federal law and take the lead on protecting the justices.
The letter reads in part, “we together ask that the Department of Justice through the respective United States Attorneys’ offices provide appropriate resources to safeguard the Justices and enforce the law as written.”
Republican Senator Tom Cotton sent a similar letter to Garland earlier this week.
The federal statute they refer to is U.S. Code 1507 which states that a person can be fined and jailed for up to a year for demonstrating near a judge’s home with the intent to influence those involved in a legal case.
“Your rights are less when you’re protesting and picketing outside a residential manor," said Mark A. Graber, a constitutional law professor at the University of Maryland.
The Department of Justice responded to the governors’ letter with a statement Wednesday saying the attorney general directed the U.S. Marshals Service to “help ensure the justices’ safety.”
The statement did not include a call for the protesters to stop the residential demonstration. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the protestors have President Joe Biden’s support although she says the administration condemns any threats or violence.
“I know that there’s an outrage right now, I guess about protests that have been peaceful to date and we’ve certainly continued to encourage that outside of judges homes and that’s the president’s position,” Psaki said.
As pro-abortion rights groups plan to continue their demonstrations into the weekend, Virginia’s governor promises his state police will assist federal and local law enforcement to “ensure the safety” of the justices.
