What is Garland doing?
Attorney General Merrick Garland is under pressure to act on a federal law that prohibits picketing outside a Supreme Court Justice’s home with the purpose of influencing an outcome.
The Federal law in question is U.S. code 1507, which states that those who participate in “pickets or parades” with the intention of “interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer… near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer” should be imprisoned or fined.
Seemingly paying no attention to this law, the Biden administration has encouraged people to protest outside Supreme Court Justice’s provided the protest remains peaceful.
But despite the law and the recent assassination attempt of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Garland still hasn’t initiated any charges against protestors.
Commenting on the matter, Trump-Era Attorney General Bill Barr said the “law is crystal clear” adding that “the law should be enforced.”
Barr went on to state that the Biden administration, saying it supports the First Amendment is a “non-answer” adding that the right to protest is subject to “reasonable ‘time, place, and manner’ restrictions, like the federal law prohibiting demonstrations outside a judge’s residence.”
Carrie Severino, executive director of Judicial Crisis Network also questioned Garland’s inaction, saying: “I would love to know why Merrick Garland is refusing to enforce this law as protesters continue to gather at the justices’ private residences – especially after the apparent attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh.”
