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    Judicial Security Resources

    ABA Documents

    • ABA Policy (February 2021) urges Congress to enact the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2020 to prohibit the disclosure of personally identifiable information of active, senior, recalled, or retired federal judges and their immediate family who share their residence, including home addresses and other personal contact or identifying information.
    • ABA Policy (August 2005) among other things, urges Congress and the Department of Justice to consider whether existing federal laws are adequate to protect the safety of all persons involved in the federal judicial process; urges internet vendors and governmental entities to voluntarily remove judges’ personally identifiable information from databases; and urges Congress to fully fund judicial and court security programs. 
    • ABA Day 2022 One-Pager
    • ABA Day 2022 Talking Points
    • Sample Letter for ABA Day 2021 advocates to personalize and send to their Members. This letter is available on our ABA Day digital platform, accessible here, which makes it easy to personalize and send directly to your congressional delegation.
    • November 30, 2021, Letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee urges Senators to keep the bipartisan bill focused on enhancing the security of federal judges by opposing any non-germane amendments that may be proposed, and to report the bill, which extends coverage to  additional Article I judges    for swift Senate passage. (See identical letter sent to the Committee Chair and Ranking Member.)
    • October 25, 2021, letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees urging them to amend HR 4436 to include judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and U.S. Tax Court within its scope of coverage and to act on the bill promptly.
    • August 3, 2021, letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021. (See also letters sent to House and Senate sponsors of the bill.)
    • October 27, 2020, letter from ABA president Patricia Refo to House and Senate leaders on the need to enhance security protections for the Federal Judiciary. (Identical letter sent to House leadership can be found here.)
    • ABA Washington Letter article on introduction of the long-awaited bipartisan and bicameral Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 

    Congressional Resources

    Committees that Deal with Issues Affecting Judicial Security

    These are the committees that have jurisdiction over the bill:

    On December 2, 2021, the Senate Judiciary Committee held an Executive Committee meeting to vote on moving S. 2340 to the Senate floor. 

    Legislation 

    • S. 2340, 117th Congress, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021, as reported with an amendment by the Senate Judiciary Committee on December 16, 2022.

      See the list of cosponsors here. 
    • H.R. 4436, 117th Congress, the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021, introduced by Representative Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11).

      See the list of cosponsors here.
    • Press releases from the offices of Senator Menendez and Representative Sherrill upon re-introduction of the bill in July 2021. ABA Past-President Patricia Lee Refo was quoted in support of the bill.

    UNITED STATES MARSHALS SERVICE, FY 2021 ANNUAL REPORT. Since its establishment in 1789, a primary function of the USMS is the protection and security of the federal judicial process. Marshals have primary responsibility for protecting the personal safety of judges outside of the courthouse and monitoring threats. Refer to page 33 for more specific information.Judicial Conference of the United States

    Judicial Conference of the United States

    Select Media Coverage

    Prepared by:

    Denise Cardman, Deputy Director
    Governmental Affairs Office
    American Bar Association
    [email protected]

    Last Updated:  March 15, 2022