UMVA has learned that a frantic police dispatch was triggered late Wednesday night by a false report of gunshots at the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
When Fairfax County officers arrived, the clamor of sirens gave way to an uneasy silence as they met Barrett’s security detail, who quickly confirmed the emergency was a swatting hoax.
The bogus call had slipped through the department’s non‑emergency line, prompting a swift but ultimately unnecessary tactical response.
Partial police audio, heavily redacted, captured the tense exchange before the officers withdrew, underscoring how easily a malicious prank can ignite a full‑scale law‑enforcement operation.
This incident marks the latest in a disturbing pattern of threats aimed at conservative members of the nation’s highest court.
In June 2022, a man in California was apprehended near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland residence, openly declaring his intention to kill the justice over abortion and gun‑control issues.
The would‑be assassin, identified as Nicholas John Roske, faced a harsh rebuke from federal officials, who called the plot a “disgusting attack against our entire judicial system.”
Law‑enforcement leaders have repeatedly warned that swatting—fabricating a violent emergency to lure armed responders—constitutes a calculated attempt to endanger lives, especially those of sitting justices.
Senator Mike Lee condemned the tactic, urging that perpetrators receive “many, many years” behind bars to deter future assaults on the judiciary.
