U.S. House to weigh more Supreme Court security next week, Pelosi says

By Katharine Jackson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives will weigh legislation next week to boost security for Supreme Court justices, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday, one day after an armed man was arrested near Brett Kavanaugh’s home and charged with attempted murder.

Authorities said the man, identified as 26-year-old Nicholas Roske, was upset over expected Supreme Court rulings on abortion access and gun rights.

Roske was carrying a handgun he had purchased to kill Kavanaugh as well as ammunition, a crowbar, pepper spray and other items, according to an affidavit signed by an FBI agent.

Senators unanimously passed legislation to enhance security for justices in May and passed it along to the House after the publication of a leaked draft opinion indicating the court was poised to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The legislation would extend Supreme Court police protection to justices’ family members.

Pelosi promised action next week, noting that the bill would add to security measures already in place.

“Well, the justices are protected, as you know,” Pelosi told reporters during a news conference. “We had hoped that we could do it today, but we certainly will do it the beginning of next week.”

The U.S. Justice Department began providing increased security at the justices’ homes in May after the draft opinion leak, with the U.S. Marshals Service providing around-the-clock security. Kavanaugh’s home in the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been the site of some protests by abortion-rights advocates since the leak.

“Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices, of course, strike at the heart of our democracy,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters when asked about the arrest on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden “condemns the actions of this individual in the strongest terms” and supports legislation in Congress to improve security for the justices, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

Roske made his first court appearance on Wednesday afternoon. He faces a charge of attempting to kidnap or murder a U.S. judge, and, if convicted, faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, according to prosecutors.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Writing by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Susan Heavey and Jonathan Oatis)