A man from Florida has been given a prison sentence of 14 months after making threats to harm a justice from the U.S. Supreme Court, as stated by the Justice Department on Tuesday.
Neal Brij Sidhwaney, 43, admitted his guilt in December following a July telephone call he made from Florida to the Supreme Court. In a voice message filled with expletives, he made two threats to kill an unnamed justice, as stated in the indictment. As per Politico, Sidhwaney revealed his intended target to be Chief Justice John Roberts during a psychological evaluation that was included in court records but later sealed.
Sidhwaney admitted to transmitting an interstate threat to harm a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in December.
Reports have indicated a concerning rise in threats directed towards federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, in recent years. In 2023, federal investigators dealt with a significant increase in threats to federal judges across the country compared to 2019, as reported by the U.S. Marshals Service.
In 2022, Nicholas John Roske faced allegations of attempting harm to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He was apprehended with weapons near Kavanaugh’s residence shortly after a preliminary opinion in the case invalidating Roe v. Wade was disclosed. Roske maintains his innocence.
Following that incident, a law was enacted by Congress to ensure round-the-clock security for the families of Supreme Court justices. The justices themselves were granted 24-hour protection by the U.S. Marshals shortly after the release of the opinion.