Barrett, Kagan to testify on Supreme Court budget request

Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are scheduled to testify July 14 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, and later the same day before the Senate Appropriations Committee, on the Supreme Court’s budget request.

If they appear, it will be the first time since 2019 that sitting Supreme Court justices have testified to Congress on the court’s annual budget request. For much of the period from 1960 through 2011, such appearances were routine; they have been rare since 2019.

The Supreme Court’s fiscal 2027 request totals about $225.1 million. That includes roughly $207.0 million for salaries and expenses and $18.1 million for care of the building and grounds. More than one-third of the building-and-grounds request is earmarked for designing an exterior visitor screening facility recommended after security assessments.

The request also adds money for a dozen cybersecurity positions and about $14.6 million for building security and personal protection. The salaries-and-expenses request is $210.3 million, including $207.0 million in discretionary appropriations and $3.3 million in mandatory appropriations.

After the 2022 attempt to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home, the U.S. Marshals Service began providing around-the-clock security at the justices’ homes. The court’s latest request includes funds for residence protection and the exterior screening improvements now planned for the courthouse.

The broader federal judiciary budget request for fiscal 2027 totals $9.7 billion in discretionary funding, a 4.9% increase over the FY2026 enacted level, plus $826.5 million in mandatory appropriations. The justices are heading to Capitol Hill about two weeks after the Supreme Court finished issuing its final opinions for the 2025-26 term, including rulings on birthright citizenship and presidential power.