Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s sister received a bomb threat in her mail, WYFF reports.
A Charleston County Sheriff’s Office employee received the threat via email on March 8. The email said: “Using a 1×8-inch threaded galvanized pipe, end caps, a kitchen timer, some wires, metal clips and homemade black powder, I’ve constructed a pipe bomb which I recently placed in Amy Coney Barrett’s sister’s mailbox at her home in Charleston, SC. The device’s detonation will be triggered as soon as the mailbox is next opened. Free Palestine!”
Authorities determined the threat to be a false alarm.
David Williams, Barrett’s brother-in-law, said an unidentified individual had attempted to deliver pizza to homes connected to Barrett. Reuters reported that several federal judges in Washington, DC, received pizza from an anonymous source.
The Federal Judges Association said in a statement addressing the fear tactics that it “remains deeply concerned about the rising threats and intimidation the judiciary faces.”
Last month, Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), introduced the Protecting Our Supreme Court Justices Act, a bill designed to strengthen legal protections for Supreme Court justices against intimidation and threats.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend Section 1507 of the U.S. Code, increasing the mandatory minimum prison sentence for those found guilty of obstructing justice by picketing or demonstrating near court buildings or judges’ residences. If passed, the bill would raise the penalty from a maximum of one year in prison to a mandatory minimum of five years.
“Supreme Court justices must be able to do their jobs without fear of intimidation, harm, or violence against them or their families,” Blackburn stated. “This bill will send a clear message that such intimidation will not be tolerated.”
