Police Respond to Barrett Swatting Call, Supreme Court News
Police responded to a swatting call at Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s residence in Fairfax County on Wednesday evening, the latest supreme court news involving security at a sitting justice’s home. The Fairfax County Police Department said officers arrived at approximately 9:02 p.m. after the call came through the department’s non-emergency line.
Officers met with Barrett’s security detail and quickly determined the report was fictitious. Police said they immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and did not use additional police resources.
Fairfax County response
A Fairfax County Police Department public information officer said, “Yesterday evening at approximately 9:02 p.m., officers responded to a swatting call at the residence of U.S. Supreme Court Justice in Fairfax County.” The department added, “Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious. No additional police resources were utilized,”
The call reportedly referred to sounds of gunshots, according to a partial audio recording that surfaced on X on Thursday. Barrett appeared on the bench Thursday morning and read aloud summaries of two opinions she authored, without mentioning the Wednesday incident in her remarks.
Threats after Dobbs
The episode comes amid years of heightened threats against Supreme Court justices. Protests outside conservative justices’ homes followed the leaked Dobbs draft opinion in 2022, and a California man was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home and later charged with attempted murder.
On X, Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee wrote, “Swatting is an attempt to get an innocent person killed—in this case, a sitting Supreme Court Justice,” and added, “The proper response will be putting the offender in prison for many, many years.”
Barrett on Thursday morning
Barrett’s appearance on the bench Thursday morning showed the court moving ahead as normal after the police response. The practical result for the public is simple: the report that brought officers to her home was false, and law enforcement treated it as a security incident rather than a broader emergency.
