Supreme Court justice describes wearing bulletproof vest and 'swatting' hoax at home

Two justices appeared before Congress to ask for $228m (170.3m pounds) in security funding as threats continue to rise - both in person and online.

Two US Supreme Court justices have been lobbying Congress for millions in extra security funding for themselves and their colleagues to help protect them from a rise in threats to their safety.

The court's request of $228m (170.3m pounds) is a 53% increase from last year - most of which is being sought for strengthened security.

"The threat level is really high," Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative, said on Tuesday during a rare public appearance by members of the court before the House committee.

"I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one," said Barrett.

Kagan, meanwhile, testified that the Supreme Court police expected a 38% rise in security threats this year, adding: "For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialise."

As of July 1, 370 threats have been made to federal judges this fiscal year, according to a US Marshal Service report that was cited during the hearing. Ranking member Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, said this represented a 31% rise since last year, which was "deeply alarming".

At the moment, they are typically given between four to eight security personnel depending on the occasion, Barrett said, adding that she hoped a rise in their security level would bring them "closer to cabinet level officials".

The latest review by the Pew Research Center found 50% of Americans hold a favourable view of the Supreme Court - down from 70% in 2022.