WASHINGTON– Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett will make a rare appearance before Congress on Tuesday, weeks after the end of a historic term.

The judges appear before a House appropriations panel as the court seeks millions of dollars to bolster security amid increased threats to the judiciary.

Judges across the country have seen an increase in threats of violence and intimidation, including a hoax call to police about Barrett’s home in May.

The hearing comes two weeks after the conservative-majority court finished issuing a series of major opinions, including a decision that increased President Donald Trump’s power over federal regulatory agencies and another that rejected his wide-ranging tariffs, drawing harsh personal criticism.

It is the first time the justices have testified before Congress since 2019, and the two justices could face wide-ranging questions as they seek to stay focused on the budget.

The Supreme Court requested a total of $228 million for the next fiscal year, an increase of about 10% from the previous year. Almost $15 million of that amount would go to expanding the personal protection of judges, with six more agents for each one.

Another $2 million would fund an off-site residential security post aimed at speeding up emergency responses as well as increasing the number of Supreme Court police officers.

The U.S. Marshals Service, responsible for protecting judges, reported 564 threats in the government fiscal year that ended in September, an increase from the previous year.

That total includes threats to hundreds of federal judges across the country, although the nine-member Supreme Court has not been immune.

In May, Barrett’s security team worked with police to quickly deal with the call that was determined to be a hit, or a hoax 911 call designed to provoke a police response. Last year, his sister was the victim of a bomb threat in Charleston, South Carolina, police said. No bomb was found.

In 2022, shortly after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the abortion decision in Roe v. Wade, a would-be assassin, was arrested near Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s home with guns and zip ties.

Chief Justice John Roberts condemned the threats to all U.S. judges, saying during a speech in March that criticism of judicial opinions is understandable but that personally directed hostility is “dangerous and must stop.”