Earlier today the Senate Judiciary Committee, by voice vote, advanced a bill (S. 2511) that would permit the Supreme Court Police Department to provide security for justices when they travel abroad.

Currently, the SCPD’s authority is limited to the U.S., though its officers typically only provide security in and around D.C. and rely on the U.S. Marshals Service to protect the justices when they travel domestically. Justices’ protection abroad is coordinated by the Marshal of the Supreme Court on an ad hoc basis.

FTC’s Gabe Roth released this statement in response:

“I was pleased to see the Senate Judiciary Committee advance a bill that would offer more comprehensive protection to Supreme Court justices when they travel.

“Those who advocate for greater openness in the judiciary must also be certain there’s no tradeoff between transparency and safety, and this legislation is a positive step in that direction.”

The House version of this bill would make this new authority permanent, as opposed to needing to be reauthorized every few years. It passed the Judiciary Committee earlier this month.