Marshal of the Supreme Court asks Maryland officials to enforce anti-picketing laws

Curley cites the arrest near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home in early June of a man who was later charged by the Justice Department with attempting or threatening to kidnap or murder a US judge. The man had been armed, according to the FBI. Several Supreme Court justices live in Maryland.

Protests began in May when a draft majority opinion overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was leaked and published by, and armed guards were sent to provide 24-hour protection at the justices’ homes. When the high court ended Roe on June 24 — holding that there was no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion — the protests continued.

According to Curley, “large groups of protesters” have “picketed” justices’ homes in Maryland, “chanting slogans, using bullhorns, and banging drums.”

“This is exactly the kind of conduct that the Maryland and Montgomery County laws prohibit,” Curley wrote, calling on Hogan to direct the Maryland State Police and for Elrich to direct the Montgomery County Police to enforce the laws without delay.

The letters were sent as the court ended a blockbuster term.

Following the leak of the draft opinion in May, the Department of Homeland Security issued a memo warning law enforcement that there are potential threats to Supreme Court members and that the court’s police have noticed a major uptick in social media threats of violence, with some prompting investigation.