U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the target of an apparent “swatting” attempt this week after an unknown caller falsely reported gunfire at her Virginia residence, according to local authorities.
Fairfax County police said Wednesday evening that a caller contacted the department’s nonemergency line claiming to have heard shots fired at Barrett’s home. Officers quickly coordinated with Supreme Court Police assigned to the residence and determined the report was false.
“Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious,” Fairfax County police said, according to NBC News. “No additional police resources were utilized.”
Authorities also released a recording of the police dispatch, in which a dispatcher says that “we have not been able to get an answer on callback to the complainant’s phone number.”
Authorities released audio from the police dispatch in which a dispatcher noted that officers were unable to reach the caller and warned that the incident could be a swatting attempt. “We have not been able to get an answer on callback to the complainant’s phone number,” the dispatcher said.
Barrett’s home is under 24-hour security protection because of her status as a Supreme Court justice.
The incident is the latest in a series of threats directed at conservative members of the high court. In 2022, California resident Nicholas Roske traveled to Maryland with plans to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh over the expected overturning of Roe v. Wade. Roske later pleaded guilty to attempting to kill a U.S. justice over his anti-Roe stance and had also planned to kill himself.
Barrett’s family has also been targeted. In March 2025, her sister, Amanda Coney Williams, received a politically charged bomb threat referencing Barrett and ending with the phrase “Free Palestine!” CNN reported.
Swatting involves making false reports of violent emergencies to prompt an armed police response at a victim’s home. The practice has frequently targeted public officials, celebrities and political commentators, creating potentially dangerous encounters with law enforcement.
Federal authorities have increasingly cracked down on the crime. Last June, 26-year-old Romanian national Thomasz Szabo pleaded guilty to orchestrating swatting and bomb threats against numerous public figures, including members of Congress.
“This defendant’s targeted and ruthless behavior put countless people in danger, including law enforcement, public officials, and ordinary citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia in the announcement.
“Swatting attacks … drain precious resources and can result in major injury or even death. Anyone who hijacks police resources for senseless crimes like these will have to answer for their actions.”
