Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) issued a press release on Monday announcing that his office had sent a letter to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding answers as to why the latter’s office has failed to institute policies to protect the Supreme Court justices in the wake of numerous potential threats.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been a particular target of protesters, who have shown up at his home to protest his opinion in the recent case that stripped away federal protections for abortion access.

Cruz has been the target of recent threats as well; a 22-year-old Texas resident was arrested last week after threatening to kill Cruz and other Texas Republicans whom he claimed “intend to have the voting right acts repealed and not reauthorized.”

The individual suspected of making the phone call has been arrested and charged with making terroristic threats. He was released on bond but failed to appear in court on July 8. A warrant for his arrest has been issued, but police have not yet located the fugitive.

Cruz’s letter calls on Garland to attend and speak at the July 12 Senate Judiciary Committee meeting of which Cruz is a member. Cruz has asked the attorney general to be prepared to show steps his office has taken to uphold the law and protect Supreme Court justices.

“I am requesting [Attorney General Garland’s] attendance so he may detail the steps the Department of Justice is taking to protect our Supreme Court Justices in the wake of an unprecedented harassment and intimidation campaign,” Cruz wrote in the letter.

“[Title]18 U.S.C. § 1507 criminalizes any attempt to influence a judge in the exercise of his or her duties by picketing them at their home. Congress passed this law to allow judges at every level of the judiciary the freedom to exercise their judicial power free from outside influence or intimidation.

“Article III of the Constitution guarantees judicial independence by granting judges life tenure and salary protection so they are not influenced by anything but the law and facts in the case before them. Unfortunately, despite clear evidence that federal law was violated by mobs of protestors at the justices’ homes, the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the United States flatly refused to enforce federal law.”

Cruz claims that Supreme Court officials requested that law enforcement in the states of Virginia and Maryland enforce laws prohibiting picketing at the homes of judges. The governors of both states have also called on Garland to enforce the law at the federal level.

Cruz cited an incident that occurred on June 8 when an armed man from Simi Valley, California, was arrested near Kavanaugh’s home. The man admitted to police that he had intended to murder the justice following the leak of the majority opinion in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. He was reportedly armed with a handgun, knife, and pepper spray and had burglary tools in his possession when arrested. He was also dressed in black tactical gear.

In May, the Senate passed a bill written by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) that extends existing protections for justices to include their families. The House passed the bill with a 396-27 vote, and President Biden signed the measure into law last month.

Garland publicly supported the bill and has said that justices currently receive around-the-clock security while stating that his office takes the threats “very seriously.”

Numerous protest organizations have pushed back against justices they view as responsible for the opinion overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the U.S.

Among the organizations in opposition, ShutDownDC, a protest group, posted on social media last week that they would pay individuals up to $200 for confirmed sightings of justices to enable the group to target members while they are out in public.

DC Service Industry Workers… If you see Kavanaugh, Alito, Thomas, Gorsuch, Coney Barrett or Roberts DM us with the details!

We'll venmo you $50 for a confirmed sighting and $200 if they're still there 30 mins after your message. https://t.co/xXWZ5JZiE7

— ShutDownDC (@ShutDown_DC) July 8, 2022

Twitter has not removed the post; though it is worth noting that the platform’s community guidelines state users “may not threaten violence against an individual or a group of people.”