The Supreme Court Is Building Its Own Massive Police Force

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Source: Politico

Magazine
The Supreme Court Is Building Its Own Massive Police Force

The Supreme Court is spending millions to beef up security. At what cost?

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Illustration by Ryan Inzana for POLITICO

By Josh Gerstein
06/28/2026 07:00 AM EDT
Josh Gerstein is a senior legal affairs reporter for POLITICO.

Aseries of slickly produced videos show agents clad in suits and sunglasses striding confidently in slow motion. They usher VIPs into armored SUVs, as specially trained dogs sniff out explosives and officers toting assault rifles keep watch.

The scenes evoke Hollywood films about the Secret Service, but the real-life protectees are not the president or the first family: They’re the justices of the Supreme Court, and these videos are part of an aggressive recruitment pitch for officers to defend them. ... The staid Supreme Court now has sizzle reels and even a pithy tag line from a dulcet-toned announcer: “The highest court. A higher calling.”

It’s often said that the Supreme Court has no army. Yet, with little fanfare, the size of the Supreme Court’s police force has begun mushrooming. For years, the force sat at fewer than 200 officers, but now officials are aiming to more than double the ranks of the agents and officers who protect the justices and the Supreme Court’s building. ... The push for a rapid security buildout stems from the substantial threats to the justices at a moment of growing political violence in the U.S. and the sense that the system has just not been up to the task of keeping them safe. That’s a belief that appears to be shared by at least some of the justices themselves.

“The justices are averse to the intrusion into their personal lives that comes with increased security, but they are resigned to the need for it both personally and for the court as an institution,” said one former court staffer, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the court’s security practices. ... A spokesperson for the Supreme Court declined to comment for this article.


Supreme Court Police officers stand guard outside the U.S. Supreme Court building on May 8, 2026. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

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Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/06/28/supreme-court-justices-security-police-00969784