Police responded to what they believe was a swatting attempt at the Northern Virginia home of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Fairfax County dispatchers received a report just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday of “two or three gunshots” and voices arguing at Barrett’s address, according to dispatch audio obtained by Bloomberg Law.
Dispatchers notified responding officers that they were unable to reach the caller on a number provided.
“Unknown if it’s going to be a swatting situation or not,” a dispatcher can be heard saying on the audio. Fairfax County Police later confirmed that it believed the call to be a swatting attempt.
Swatting involves making a false emergency report designed to bring armed officers to a victim’s location.
In an emailed statement, the department said its officers “immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel” at Barrett’s residence and determined the report was false.
The county declined to release audio of the emergency call, citing an exception to Virginia public access law for files “relating to an ongoing criminal investigation.”
The justices have received 24-hour security details since 2022 following the release of a draft version of the court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Threats against the justices and federal judges across the country have risen significantly in recent years.
Last year, hundreds of pizzas were sent to the homes of judges and members of their families in a signal the senders knew where they lived.
Some of the pizzas were sent under the name of a New Jersey judge’s son who was murdered in 2020. During an event in September, Barrett said pizzas had also been sent to members of her family.
Hours before the swatting attempt on Barrett’s home, federal judges speaking at a Federal Bar Association event in Los Angeles warned about the increase security risks to judges. More than 90 nationwide now require enhanced security, Ninth Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said at the event.
Barrett appeared at the court Thursday, where she delivered two opinions for the court in cases involving the First Step Act.
A spokesperson for the court didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The police dispatcher call was first reported by D.C.-based photographer Andrew Leyden.