Motion to Discharge

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the need for the Senate to act to protect Federal judges.

In the past few years, the growing use of political violence has endangered elected officials, police officers, flight attendants, school board members, election workers, and judges. We all must condemn all violence and threats of violence against public officials in the strongest possible terms, regardless of whether it comes from the right or the left.

Last week, news broke that an armed man was arrested near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. This man made it clear to law enforcement that he desired to kill Justice Kavanaugh. Importantly, court documents showed that the gunman outside Justice Kavanaugh's home said he found the address online.

This week, the House approved a bill that unanimously passed the Senate last month and would give the Supreme Court Police greater discretion to protect the Justices' families. I am glad that this important legislation is headed to President Biden's desk.

But it has been over 6 months since the Judiciary Committee unanimously reported the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act. This bill was first introduced by Senators Menendez and Booker in response to a tragic incident in which a disgruntled litigant found the home address of Judge Esther Salas on the internet, went to her house, and shot and killed her son.

The bill is directly responsive to the threats that Federal judges face, including the threat to Justice Kavanaugh. It would allow judges to safeguard their personal information from being posted on the internet and would empower the judiciary to monitor online threats. We have tried to pass this bill in the past, and it has been blocked by at least one Republican Senator. The bill's sponsors have negotiated changes to address these concerns, and I am hopeful that Republican objection will be lifted today.

The threat to Justice Kavanaugh and the tragic death of Daniel Anderl underscore the need to pass this bipartisan bill quickly and get it signed into law so we can protect all Federal judges and their families.

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