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The House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide protection to the families of Supreme Court Justices. The bill, which passed the Senate in May, now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature.
While Justices already receive 24-hour federal security protection, the Supreme Court Police Parity Act of 2022 extends that to members of their families.
The bill passed by a vote of 396 to 27. The 27 Democrats who voted against the bill wanted to extend that protection to the families of court employees as well.
The vote comes during a contentious time for the Supreme Court, following the leak of a draft ruling that would overturn the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade that gave women the right to have an abortion.
Following the leak, demonstrators began protesting outside of the homes of several conservative Justices, prompting outrage from Republicans. Calls to pass the Senate bill reached a fever pitch after police arrested an armed man near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house, who was allegedly planning to assassinate him. Ultimately, the suspect called 911 on himself, telling the dispatcher he could not go through with the plot.
While Republicans were glad the bill passed, they blasted Democrats for stalling its passage for several weeks.
"It should not have been this hard or taken this long," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said. "It should not have taken a threat against Justice Kavanaugh to force action."