Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the target of a swatting call on Wednesday night (May 27) at her home in Fairfax County, Virginia. Police received a non-emergency call reporting gunshots at Barrett’s address. Fairfax County Police, in coordination with Supreme Court police, quickly determined the report was false.
Swatting involves making false emergency calls to provoke a police response, often targeting public figures. Barrett, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020, has faced security threats before, including a bomb threat against her sister in 2025. According to NBC News, threats against judges have tripled over the last decade.
The police dispatch recording, obtained by the Washington Examiner, revealed that officers suspected a swatting attempt from the start, as they couldn’t reach the original caller. The call was cleared after officers confirmed with Barrett’s security detail that the report was fictitious.
This incident adds to a series of threats against Supreme Court justices, especially following the leaked draft opinion on the Dobbs case in 2022. Protests and threats have targeted conservative justices, including Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The FBI is investigating the rise in swatting incidents, which have increasingly targeted public figures. Barrett was on the bench Thursday morning, unaffected by the incident, and continued her duties without mentioning the swatting call.
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