Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at his weekly press conference on June 7, 2022.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
- The Senate easily passed a one-page bill extending security to Supreme Court justices’ families almost a month ago.
- That came after the leak of a draft opinion showing the court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Now, McConnell is demanding the House finally pass the bill “before the sun sets today.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding that the House pass a one-page bill extending security protections to the family members of Supreme Court justices following the arrest of a man who made threats against Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life.
The Senate passed the bipartisan bill — sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware — amid the possibility of violence against justices follow the leak of a draft opinion showing the court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The legislation would simply extend protection by Supreme Court Police to immediate family members of the justices.
“This is exactly why the Senate passed legislation very shortly after the leak to enhance the police protection for the Justices and their families,” said McConnell in floor remarks on Wednesday. “This is commonsense, noncontroversial legislation that passed this chamber unanimously.”
“But House Democrats have spent weeks blocking it. The House Democratic majority has refused to take it up,” he added. “That needs to change. Right now. House Democrats must pass this bill and they must do it today.”
“House Democrats need to stop their multi-week blockade against the Supreme Court security bill and pass it before the sun sets today,” he concluded.
—ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 8, 2022
House Democrats have insisted that they want to extend the protection to Supreme Court clerks as well, which Cornyn has taken issue with.
The Texas Republican argued last month that the bill included “divisive provisions,” including “potentially extending police protection to the very person who leaked the draft opinion.”
Asked about the progress of the legislation on Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said it could be passed “relatively soon,” and that he’d discussed the bill with both Cornyn and Coons this week.
Screenshot of the entirety of the Supreme Court Policy Parity Act.
Congress.gov
