Key keywords: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, 2024 Congressional Judiciary Budget Testimony, US Supreme Court security funding, judicial threat assessment, federal judiciary operational budget, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization aftermath, judicial independence protection, congressional appropriations for federal courts On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies to present the Supreme Court’s $892 million fiscal year 2025 budget request, where she emphasized that the threat level against federal judicial personnel is “really high” and at a historic peak. Barrett, who was appointed to the court in 2020 by former President Donald Trump, noted that U.S. Marshals Service data shows reported threats against federal judges and court staff have risen nearly 400% since 2020, with a 10x spike in direct threats against Supreme Court justices in the months following the 2022 leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned federal abortion rights. She referenced the 2022 incident where a man armed with a knife, pistol, and burglary tools was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, after stating he intended to kill the justice over his stance on abortion and gun rights. Barrett explained that the 26% proposed budget increase from the 2024 fiscal year allocates $230 million explicitly for security upgrades, including enhanced 24/7 patrols around justices’ private residences, upgraded alarm and surveillance systems for judges across all federal court levels, additional cybersecurity staff to defend against targeted hacks of court records and judicial personnel personal data, and expanded protection for court staff who have increasingly become targets of harassment related to high-profile rulings. The remaining portion of the requested budget will fund upgrades to the Supreme Court’s aging information technology infrastructure, increased compensation for lower-court clerks and administrative staff, and expanded legal aid programs for low-income litigants in federal courts. The justice urged lawmakers to set aside partisan divides to approve the full budget request, noting that threats are not targeted at justices based on their ideological affiliation, but at the judiciary as an institution. She added that independent judges cannot fulfill their constitutional duties if they fear for their safety or the safety of their families. While Republican members of the subcommittee have signaled broad support for the security funding components of the request, Democratic lawmakers have stated they will tie budget approval to the implementation of a binding, enforceable code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, following a series of high-profile reports of undisclosed gifts and travel received by conservative justices in recent years. Additional hearings on lower federal court budget requests are scheduled for next week.