Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is requesting Attorney General Merrick Garland come before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing Tuesday to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Cruz, R.Texas wrote Dick Durbin (D.Ill.) asking that Garland appears before this panel to “detail the steps taken by the Department of Justice to protect our Supreme Court Justices after an unprecedented harassment and intimidation campaign.”
Cruz mentioned 18 U.S.C. Cruz refers to 18 U.S.C. 1507, which makes it a crime to influence a judge’s exercise of his or her duties by picketing them at their home. This law was created to allow judges to exercise their judicial power without any outside influence or intimidation.
Cruz also cites Article III of the U.S. Constitution. This provides judges with tenure and salary protection, which guarantees independence in judicial decisions. They are not subject to any law or fact that could influence them.
Cruz wrote that “Unfortunately, despite clear evidence that federal law was violated by mobs of demonstrators who gathered at the Justices homes, The Department of Justice’s chief law enforcement officer of the United States refused to enforce federal laws.”
Cruz noted that Cruz had noticed that the Supreme Court Marshal for Maryland and Virginia asked Maryland officials to “enforce laws against picketing outside of the homes of Justices who live in these two states.”
“Further, the governors in Virginia and Maryland called upon Attorney General Garland to enforce the law as written,” Cruz wrote.
Cruz stated that “Attorney general Garland has however ignored such calls and done it with near-tragic consequences.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh was threatened with death. Nicholas Roske (26), however, was taken into custody after he allegedly plotted the murder of Kavanaugh at his Maryland home.
Cruz said that intimidation attempts had been made at Justice Alito’s home, Justice Thomas’ house, Justice Barrett’s house, and Chief Justice John Roberts’ residence.
Cruz stated: “Attorney General Garland’s refusal to act, however, calls into question the sincerity of this statement. ”
Slamming the attorney general, Cruz said he was “quick to condemn parents who attended school board meetings to protest radical policies pushed by some board members.”
Cruz stated that Garland had failed to act in the face of multiple requests from Supreme Court Marshals and governors. He also explained his plans to safeguard judicial independence and prevent future intimidation campaigns. ”
Congress passed a bill providing security protection for Supreme Court justices and their families. President Joe Biden signed it into law last month, just before the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The Supreme Court’s announcement last month reintroduced abortion to the States. President Biden asked Congress to pass federal legislation codifying Roe v. Wade.
“Chair Durbin has been clear that we must condemn all violence and threats of violence against public officials in the strongest possible terms—regardless of whether it comes from the right or the left,” a spokesperson for Durbin told Fox News Digital.
“Last month, the House approved a bill that unanimously passed the Senate that gives the Supreme Court Police greater discretion to protect the Justices’ families. But it has been more than six months since the Judiciary Committee unanimously reported the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, which is being blocked by at least one Republican Senator. The bill is directly responsive to the threats that federal judges face. It would allow judges to safeguard their personal information from being posted on the Internet and would empower the judiciary to monitor online threats.”
“The danger to Justice Kavanaugh’s life and the tragic death of Daniel Anderl highlights how urgent it is to pass this bipartisan bill rapidly and get it signed into law so that all federal judges are protected,” Durbin’s spokesperson stated. Durbin expressed hope that the Republican Senator who was holding up the bill would reconsider.
Cruz did not receive a response from the DOJ immediately to his request for comment.
