(NewsSpace.com) – Supreme Court justices have experienced an increasing number of threats over the years, particularly in the face of overturning landmark cases and a number of hot-button issues that have come before the court. For instance, in 2022, Nicholas Roske was arrested after he called police and revealed he planned to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His case is still working its way through the courts, but another man has since been arrested and sentenced for threatening Chief Justice John Roberts.
On Tuesday, April 2, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that US District Judge Marcia Morales Howard handed down a 14-month sentence to 43-year-old Neal Brij Sidhwaney. The penalty stems from a call he made to the Supreme Court in July 2023, in which he threatened Justice Roberts in “an expletive-laden” message, saying he was going to “f—ing kill” him. Sidhawney had identified himself by name, making it easy for the Supreme Court police to track him down.
The suspect was indicted and later pleaded guilty to transmitting an interstate threat to kill. The maximum penalty for the crime was five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Sidhawney also had to undergo psychological testing but was deemed fit to stand trial, despite findings that he likely suffered from paranoia and a delusional disorder. He reportedly believed Google had implanted two chips in his body—one in his foot and one in his hand.
It’s not clear what prompted Sidhawney to make such threats, but his mother said he regularly became enraged while watching the news, which prompted him to make phone calls and write letters.
In the wake of the increasing threats, the US Marshals Service revealed that the Supreme Court is seeking additional funding to beef up security. Federal judges have faced an increasing number of incidents over the past few years, with a stunning 457 threats made in fiscal year 2023 alone.
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