Pressley votes against Supreme Court security bill, seeks protections for abortion providers
BOSTON - The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill to amp up security for Supreme Court justices and their families. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, of Massachusetts, was one of just 27 Democrats to vote against the measure.
The "Supreme Court Police Parity Act" came up for a vote in the wake of the alleged attempted murder of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Prosecutors said a California man was armed with a gun, knife and various tools outside Kavanaugh's house and made threats against the justice.
The proposal would give the marshal of the Supreme Court and Supreme Court police the authority to protect the justices' family members or any officer of the court if it's deemed necessary.
Pressley was the only Massachusetts representative to vote against the bill. In a statement to WBZ-TV, she called on Congress to take action on a bill that would protect abortion providers and their patients, saying, "It is inexcusable that we continue to place a hierarchy on people's safety and lives."
"Right now, the unprecedented actions of this extreme Supreme Court have put lives at risk—including and especially the lives of our abortion care providers, health center staff, and the patients seeking abortion care who are targeted by anti-abortion extremists incited by harmful rhetoric from the nation's highest court," Pressley said.
She also said that members of Congress and Supreme Court justices "already have protections when it comes to their security."
The Senate passed the Supreme Court bill last month, and it's now headed to President Joe Biden's desk.
