An apparent “swatting” incident targeted the residence of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Wednesday night, police confirmed to NBC News.
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Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, said Thursday that the call was received through the department’s non-emergency line just after 9 p.m. ET.
“Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious,” Fairfax County Police said in a statement to NBC News. “No additional police resources were utilized.”
The Supreme Court’s public information office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Barrett, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020, was on the bench Thursday morning for decisions.
According to a recording of the police dispatch obtained by NBC Washington, a dispatcher alerted responding officers that a caller, who identified themself as a neighbor, reported “gunshots heard” at an address belonging to Barrett in Fairfax County.
Later in the recording, a dispatcher is heard saying, “Be advised, we have not been able to get an answer on callback to the complainant’s phone number.”
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“Unknown if it’s going to be a swatting situation or not,” the dispatcher continued, noting that the address “has 24-hour security coverage for a high-priority resident of the county.”
Swatting refers to hoax emergency calls that prompt a law enforcement response in an effort to harass, intimidate or otherwise harm the intended targets. At times, the incidents can lead to dangerous consequences when armed police arrive.
Barrett and her family have been the target of threats in the past. In March 2025, Barrett’s sister Amanda Coney Williams was the target of a bomb threat at her home in Charleston, South Carolina.
Other justices have faced threats. A woman was sentenced in October to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She was found near Kavanaugh’s home in 2022 armed with a handgun, a knife, pepper spray and burglary tools, according to authorities.
Federal judges across the country have reported harassment and threats over rulings they made against Trump. Many have received threats through anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes — a move that’s become a common tactic of intimidation.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his that the number of threats against judges has tripled over the last decade. The U.S. Marshals Service, which is tasked with protecting judges, reported 564 threats against judges in the fiscal year 2025.
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