Swatting call made to home of Supreme Court justice, police say

Police said they responded to a swatting incident at the Virginia home of a Supreme Court justice late Wednesday night. Shortly after 9 p.m., officers with the Fairfax County Police Department were called to the home after a phone call received on the department’s non-emergency line, according to a written statement the department sent to WORLD. Police did not elaborate on the nature of the initial report that was received, but said that after officers arrived at the home they met with Supreme Court Police on the scene and determined that the report was false.

What is swatting? Swatting is an intimidation tactic where a caller makes a false call to emergency services to try to trigger a large police or SWAT response. Usually, the caller wants to create panic and chaos. Victims of swatting are usually high-profile individuals.

What else have we learned? Freelance journalist Andrew Leyden posted what he said was audio of radio communications between a dispatcher and police who were sent to the home of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. In it, the dispatcher appears to say the original caller was no longer answering any follow-up calls.

Is this call part of a pattern? The FBI said last year that swatting incidents are on the rise. This trend is coupled with rising threats against Supreme Court justices. Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his 2024 year-end report that threats and malicious communications toward federal justices have more than tripled in the last 10 years.