Amy Coney Barrett describes explaining bulletproof vest to 12-year-old son after Dobbs leak threats

What was said

"My security detail sent me home with a bulletproof vest and I carried it into my house, put it into my bedroom, dropped it down on a table, turned around and my 12-year-old son was standing in the doorway of my bedroom and he wanted to know what it was and why I had it and I didn't know how to respond because maybe I lack imagination, but I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one."

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett testified before Congress about security threats following the Dobbs leak, revealing she had to explain to her 12-year-old son why she brought a bulletproof vest home during a period of intense threats against her life. The testimony came during a hearing on growing threats to judicial safety featuring both conservative and liberal justices. Barrett's account illustrates the personal toll of heightened political polarization on public officials and their families.