Justices Barrett and Kagan to face lawmakers after divisive Supreme Court term

Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Jul 13, 2026, 6:00 AM ET


As the federal judiciary makes a rare personal pitch to Congress this week for tens of millions of dollars in additional security funding, the Supreme Court is sending a messenger who is positioned to speak in unusually personal terms about the threats the judiciary faces.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett has been at the center of several startling security incidents since President Donald Trump named her to the high court nearly six years ago, most recently a swatting attempt at her home in May that was thwarted after police realized she was the target. “She has firsthand experience with this issue,” said Gabe Roth, who leads Fix the Court, a group that advocates for transparency and other reforms in the judiciary. “She’s a smart pick for the testimony.”

But Barrett will also be speaking at two hearings Tuesday just days after the Supreme Court wrapped a divisive term that invalidated Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship and impose global tariffs. Despite being closely aligned with the court’s conservatives, she has drawn a storm of criticism on the right for supporting those decisions.

It’s not clear whether that friction will come up at the hearings Tuesday, though multiple congressional aides told CNN that lawmakers are preparing questions that will take Barrett and Justice Elena Kagan, a member of the court’s liberal wing who will also appear at the hearings, far beyond their budget talking points.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/13/politics/justice-barrett-kagan-rare-testimony-congress-birthright-tariffs