by WorldTribune Staff, October 9, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said “threatening” protests against the Supreme Court are meant to intimidate the justices, and he noted that neither the Biden Administration’s Justice Department nor local prosecutors even tried to charge those responsible.
“I think there has been a campaign to try to intimidate the court and some of the justices because of displeasure with some of our decisions,” Alito told the Washington Times in an interview.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito: ‘It is illegal under federal law to try to influence a judge’s decision by improper means.’
“I think it’s alarming. I think it contributes to a decline in public respect for the court and can ultimately have a serious effect on our standing,” he said.
He singled out protests in 2022, after the leak of his draft opinion in the Dobbs case that would eventually overturn Roe v. Wade and return the regulation of abortion to the states.
“It is illegal under federal law to try to influence a judge’s decision by improper means. Putting pressure or intimidation by having a threatening protest outside a judge’s house — one can certainly argue it falls under the federal statute,” he said.
Alito charged that state laws in Maryland and Virginia, where the justices live, could have been used but were not.
“Nothing was done under the federal statute, and the local prosecutors in Montgomery County, where some of the justices live, and Fairfax County, where other[s] of the justices live, did nothing,” he said.
Asked whether he had made referrals, Justice Alito said that he had not but believed “communications” were made to local prosecutors.
“They both made clear they were not going to do it,” he told the Times.
Alito recalled a protest outside his home ahead of a visit from his grandchild. The protesters were insulting his wife, yelling, “F—- Martha-Ann,” while beating drums and blowing horns.
A Justice Department spokesperson said: “While the department does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations, under President Trump we treat threats and intimidation against federal judges, including the justices of the Supreme Court, with the utmost seriousness. Those who threaten or intimidate judges will be held accountable.”
The commonwealth’s attorney in Fairfax County and the state’s attorney in Montgomery County did not respond to requests for comment.
Justice Alito added that the leak of the draft opinion made the five justices in the majority targets for assassination.
In fact, a California man, Nicholas Roske, traveled to Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Maryland home one morning in June 2022. Roske, who now identifies as a woman and goes by Sophie Roske, was armed with a gun, a tactical knife, pepper spray, lockpicks and zip ties.
Alito was asked if press coverage has been biased.
“There has been unfair reporting in some instances, and very disparate treatment of justices. Clarence Thomas and I have been subjected to a degree of scrutiny that goes far beyond what was experienced by some of my colleagues,” he said.
Asked about lower-court judges’ growing criticism of President Trump and other judges, he urged all sides to exercise restraint.
“There should be restraint in all directions,” he said. “It can undermine faith in the whole constitutional structure.”
