WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Authorities said they will clamp down on protests outside Supreme Court justices homes, which increased in frequency and intensity after the court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, ending constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years.
“Please note: MCPD supports the first amendment right to protest; however, anyone violating the disorderly conduct statute, may be subject to arrest,” Montgomery County police said on Twitter.
The protests began back in May after a leaked draft opinion signaled that the nation’s highest court was willing to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh has had multiple incidents at his home, including last month when a California man was arrested outside his suburban home armed with a gun and knife.
Police arrested the 26-year-old man outside Kavanaugh’s home after he called 911 on himself — saying he was having suicidal thoughts and also planned to kill Kavanaugh, according to court documents. The man said he was upset about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and believed Kavanaugh would vote to loosen gun control laws, according to documents filed in federal court in Maryland.
The imminent crackdown on protests outside the judges’ homes comes as Shut Down DC, a protest group, tweeted last week that it would send people money via Venmo for any confirmed sightings of specific Supreme Court justices. The tweet named Justices Kavanaugh, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts — all who voted to overturn Roe.
The tweet followed reports that a crowd of protesters gathered outside a Morton’s steakhouse in D.C. as Kavanaugh ate dinner inside. The protesters called for the restaurant’s manager to kick the justice out and not serve him. Kavanaugh was forced to exit out the back door of the restaurant due to the protesters.
President Joe Biden signed a bill last month that bolsters Supreme Court security in light of recent threats made against justices.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.