Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday praised programs that protect judges, citing the security threats faced by Supreme Court justices in the wake of the controversial May abortion decision. In June, a man carrying a gun, knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house after threatening to kill the justice, whose vote was key to overturning the court’s Roe v. Wade decision. Roberts, writing in an annual year-end report about the federal judiciary, did not specifically mention the abortion decision, but the case and the reaction to it seemed clearly on his mind.
In his report, Roberts also praised the legacy of Judge Davies, who was the subject of protests after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that segregated schools were unconstitutional. Roberts said the judge’s bench used by Davies and other artifacts from the courtroom have been preserved and will be installed in a re-created courtroom in a federal courthouse in Little Rock. The bench will be on display as part of an exhibit at the Supreme Court beginning in the fall and for the next several years.
Roberts noted that two of his liberal colleagues who dissented in the abortion case, Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, have said the court needs to be concerned about overturning precedent and appearing political. He concluded his report by saying, “We must support judges by ensuring their safety.”
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