Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act
The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would amend the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to authorize the State Justice Institute (SJI) to award grants to eligible national nonprofit organizations. These organizations would establish and run a State judicial threat intelligence and resource center. The center would provide judicial security training and resources, monitor threats against state and local judges and court staff, coordinate with law enforcement, develop standardized incident reporting and threat evaluation practices, and build a national database for reporting and sharing threats and incidents related to judicial personnel. The bill also requires a yearly report from SJI on threats to state and local judiciary members and staff. In short, the bill aims to create a formal, federally supported infrastructure at the state level for threat monitoring, security training, threat assessment, and information sharing to protect judges and court personnel.
Key Points
- 1Establishes eligibility for national nonprofit organizations to receive awards to create and operate a State judicial threat intelligence and resource center.
- 2Centers’ responsibilities include: judicial security education and training, security resources/guides, and physical security assessments for courts and related facilities.
- 3Centers would proactively monitor threats to the safety of state and local judges and court staff; coordinate with federal, state, and local law enforcement to mitigate threats.
- 4Development of standardized incident reporting and threat evaluation practices for state/local courts, plus a national database to report, track, and share threats and incidents with entities involved in judicial security (including law enforcement and fusion centers).
- 5SJI would provide financial and technical support to eligible organizations; annual reporting to Congress on threats to state/local judiciary members and staff, including threat types and seriousness.