Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
The [threat] statistics sound abstract but being on the receiving end of them is not, so I thought I would just share a little bit about how the threats have affected me and my family personally. They have required me and my children to think about and see things that children should not have to see or think about.
One example is when threats to my life were particularly intense a few years ago, around the time of the Dobbs leak. My security detail sent me home with a bulletproof vest, and I carried it into my house, put it into my bedroom, dropped it down on a table, turned around, and my 12-year-old son was standing in the doorway of my bedroom, and he wanted to know what it was and why I had it.
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.
— Justice Amy Coney Barrett, in testimony given before the House Appropriations Committee, explaining how increased threats against members of the judiciary have impacted her and her family. She and her family were also the victims of a swatting event. Barrett appeared alongside Justice Elena Kagan to speak on the Supreme Court’s budget request, offering reasons why the judiciary needs millions more in funding to provide security for judges and their families.
Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.