Washington — An armed man was arrested early Wednesday morning near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland, the Supreme Court said.
The man, who was not identified by the court, was detained around 1:50 a.m. and had made threats against Kavanaugh. The suspect was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District in Bethesda, Maryland, Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said.
Montgomery County Police said the FBI is investigating the incident, and the suspect is from California. A 911 call warning of the man near Kavanaugh’s home was made at 1:15 a.m., according to local police.
Following the release last month of a draft Supreme Court opinion indicating a majority of the justices voted to overturn the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide, the Supreme Court Police reported a “significant increase in violent threats,” including threats made on social media and directed at members of the court, according to an intelligence bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security.
Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the U.S. Marshals Service to provide additional support to the Marshal of the Supreme Court to ensure the safety of the justices amid the public backlash to the draft decision.
The draft decision, the authenticity of which was confirmed by the Supreme Court, sparked protests outside the high court — now surrounded by a large fence — and the homes of the court’s conservative justices, including Kavanaugh. In response to the demonstrations, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to boost security for members of the court by allowing Supreme Court police to provide around-the-clock protection to justices and their families if such protection is deemed necessary.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware who co-sponsored the bill, urged the House to move quickly on the measure.
“Protecting our judiciary and their staff and families is an important part of protecting our democracy,” he told reporters in response to the arrest near Kavanaugh’s house.
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas who is the other co-sponsor, said the arrest proves threats to the justices’ lives are “horrifyingly real.”
“Speaker Pelosi must keep the House in session until they pass my bill,” he said in a statement. “Every day they don’t the threat to the Justices grows, the potential for tragedy becomes more likely, and House Democrats achieve a new apex of political dysfunction.”
