As judges face more threats, only the Supreme Court gets new security funds

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Source: msn/Washington Post

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The deal Congress passed to end the 43-day government shutdown boosted security funding for the Supreme Court, freeing up millions of dollars to support round-the-clock protection for the nine justices. It provided no new security funding, however, for hundreds of judges in lower courts, who for months have urged lawmakers to set aside more money for their safety amid a surge in threats of violence.

Judiciary officials had asked lawmakers for an additional $142 million for security for lower federal courts, a 19 percent increase. The budget for security, which has been flat for two years, covers protective measures for the nation’s federal courts, served by more than 2,000 judges.

The lack of new funds for lower courts has intensified concerns among some judicial officials that security around those judges could deteriorate. They worry that budget constraints could limit how authorities respond to threats and delay critical security equipment upgrades such as new screening devices at courthouses. According to several former judges, the money issue has also fueled perceptions that President Donald Trump’s administration and its allies in Congress have politicized judicial security.

In hearings this year on the judiciary’s budget, some Republican lawmakers criticized judges who had ruled against Trump’s policies and pressed judiciary officials who testified on whether they would try to rein in what the lawmakers called a partisan judicial process. “There are people in the judiciary who are afraid that judicial security for the lower courts and politics are getting played off each other, and no one wants to be in that position,” said Jeremy Fogel, a retired judge who served in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-judges-face-more-threats-only-the-supreme-court-gets-new-security-funds/ar-AA1R6xok