The U.S. Supreme Court marshal called for officials in Maryland, Virginia, and other states to “enforce” local and state laws. She wrote that picketing was prohibited outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices.
“For several weeks, large numbers of protesters, chanting slogans and using bullhorns and banging drums, have pickedeted Justices homes in Virginia,” Marshal Gail Curley wrote the Virginia Governor. Glenn Youngkin. “This is precisely the type of conduct Virginia law prohibits.”
Curley also sent similar letters to Maryland Governor. Larry Hogan and several Maryland and Virginia county officials sent similar letters to the governor.
Curley’s request comes after weeks of protests, picketing and picketing outside of the courts’ conservative justices’ homes in Maryland and Virginia suburbs of Washington. After a draft of Roe v. Wade’s final decision was leaked, protests began in May.
Police arrested an armed man in June near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home after he called 911 to admit that he was suicidal. He had also traveled to Maryland to harm himself and Kavanaugh. Since then, he has pleaded not guilty only to one charge of trying to murder the justice.
Since the protests started, law enforcement from both the federal and local levels has been at the homes of the justices. However, the governors of Maryland and Virginia have stated that the federal government has the responsibility for managing protests.
The governors referenced a federal law prohibiting demonstrations at judges’ homes in a May letter to U.S. attorney General Merrick Garland. They urged Garland for enforcement.
Today @GovernorVA, and I wrote a letter to AttorneyGeneral Merrick Garland requesting that the Department of Justice provide sufficient resources to ensure the safety of the Supreme Court justices as well as their families during ongoing protests at their residences. pic.twitter.com/6D0bMGSp3q
The U.S. According to the Department of Justice, the Marshals Service “accelerated provision of round-the-clock security” at justices’ homes.
The protests are still ongoing, and have intensified since the conservative majority of the court handed down major decisions that were in line with Republican political preferences regarding abortion, gun control, and government’s ability address climate change.
A spokesperson for Maryland Governor. Hogan suggested that there were First Amendment concerns regarding the provisions cited in the marshal’s report. He also criticised what he called the “continued refusal of multiple federal entities to take action” on protests.
My response on behalf of the governor to Gail CurleyaEUR(tm)s Friday night letter: https://t.co/nelAgd3Qiw pic.twitter.com/Iz5nwQhSHu
In his reply to Curley, Michael Ricci wrote that “Had she taken the time to investigate the matter, she might have learned that Maryland Attorney General’s Office has questioned the constitutionality” of the statute cited by her letter.
He said, “Amidst all this, state and local law enforcement agencies were on the front line every day protecting these communities.”
Virginia governor’s spokesperson said Virginia law enforcement will continue to assist but asked Garland to “do the right thing by enforcing federal law much stronger.”
