Virginia AG rips Justice Department over failure to guard Supreme Court justices at home

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares lashed out at Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday for not doing enough to protect Supreme Court justices as the high court prepares to issue some of its most controversial decisions, saying Virginia State Police are deploying a heavy presence of “visible and not visible” officers at justices’ homes to ensure their safety.

“There’s federal law right now to protect the justices, and that’s one of our biggest problems in government, is a lack of will,” Mr. Miyares, a Republican, said in an interview with reporters and editors at The Washington Times. “There is no will to enforce the law.”

Referring to the Virginia residences of conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Amy Coney Barrett, Mr. Miyares said, “I can assure you this — without revealing too much — is that there is a heavy, heavy state police presence at every one of these, both visible and not visible, and that’s all I’ll say.”

In the hourlong interview, Mr. Miyares also challenged liberal billionaire George Soros to meet face-to-face with some of the crime victims who he said have been harmed by the wealthy activist’s campaign to weaken criminal prosecutions around the nation.

“He’s probably never gone into an inner-city church and met with the victims of crime,” he said of Mr. Soros. “I would challenge George Soros to sit in the same room I did, with dozens and dozens of victims of violent crime. They’ve been the victims of these criminal-first, victim-last prosecutors who have seen their lives turned upside down. They’ve completely been robbed of their dignity because they think nobody cares. I would do a meeting like that in a second. In fact, I challenge [Mr. Soros] publicly. Why don’t you sit down and have a meeting with me, hear their testimony?”

Representatives of Mr. Soros did not respond to a request for comment.

The state attorney general, elected in 2021, predicted that parental rights will again be a powerful campaign issue for Republicans in Virginia’s legislative elections this fall. He criticized Democrats for failing to approve a proposal by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, that would have required children to get permission from parents to set up social media accounts and use websites that collect user data.

“A host of Democrats in the General Assembly voted against that initiative,” Mr. Miyares said. “They’re up in the fall. They will be answerable in the fall. Why don’t you think parents matter? Why do you think it’s OK that a 10-year-old can just go on TikTok and suddenly see a variety of self-harm videos or videos that glorify suicide and illegal drug use? I think they’re going to be accountable. The voters aren’t stupid, and I’m sure there will be a lot of people that are informing the voters on some of their votes.”

The issue of protecting Supreme Court justices was thrust into the spotlight last year when a would-be assassin with a gun and a knife traveled to the Maryland home of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. Liberal activists have called for protests at justices’ homes before and after the high court’s ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

Mr. Garland said in March that he was not aware of guidelines given to the U.S. Marshals Service to “avoid” arresting protesters outside the homes of justices. Although a federal law calls for prosecuting anyone who attempts to intimidate a judge, Mr. Miyares said, the Justice Department has been looking the other way.

“He’s claiming these marshals had independent authority [to make arrests] when the reality is, it seems like everything we’ve seen so far, is they were not directed to do so,” Mr. Miyares said. “So we’ve asked for that. We’ll continue to ask for it.”

He said it will be an issue for Republicans if they win control of the U.S. Senate in 2024.

“It’s outrageous that these justices were going into hiding and fearing for their lives and then having individuals that were clearly, clearly trying to intimidate them,” he said. “These were actions done prior to the official [abortion] ruling. So it was clear they were trying and violating federal law, attempting to have them change their opinion. When that happens, people lose faith in government because then they start viewing the Justice Department, which should be aboveboard, as somehow a cynical tool to be manipulated.”

A group of 10 Republican senators this week introduced a bill that would increase the maximum prison term from one year to five years for violating the federal law known as Section 1507, which prohibits attempts at influencing the decision-making process of a judge.

“As we saw last summer, the woke liberal mob will go to great lengths to target those they disagree with — even illegally intimidating Supreme Court justices at their private residences,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican. “It’s extremely concerning that none of these protesters have been arrested for breaking the law, and the DOJ has not issued any guidance on enforcing this statute.”

Mr. Garland told lawmakers in March that he had given federal marshals permission to make arrests.

“I’m the first attorney general who has ever ordered marshals to protect the residences of the justices and protect them 24/7,” Mr. Garland said. “That’s their principal responsibility, but that doesn’t mean that they are in any way precluded from bringing other kinds of arrests. We are trying to protect the lives of justices. That is our principal priority. Decisions have to be made on the ground about what is the best way to protect those lives.”

Mr. Miyares said he is focused on security not just for the justices but also for Virginians — especially children. His office opened an investigation into Loudoun County Public Schools and its handling of sexual assaults that occurred when a biological boy presented as a female to use the women’s facilities and violently assaulted two students. The assaults went unreported until parents spoke up.

He subpoenaed the internal investigation conducted by the school system to uncover exactly what officials knew and when they knew it.

“I can’t comment too much because of the indictments because we will be prosecuting those cases later this summer,” he said. “If there is anything that I think … that at least for me, personally, the most astonishing was when the first sexual assault took place … a teacher walked in during the assault and did nothing, and they testified they did nothing because it is not an uncommon occurrence to see two pairs of legs in a bathroom stall.”

Beyond the sexual assaults, he has been investigating Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax County for its use of race as a factor for admissions and what he considered a “war on merit” when students who won National Merit Letters of Commendation weren’t notified for fear of offending other students. An independent investigation, requested by Fairfax County Public Schools, found no evidence that the delay in notification was intentional.

Mr. Miyares said he has a positive outlook for Republicans in Virginia’s elections this fall. He said the Youngkin administration needs to tout its accomplishments in protecting children, students and taxpayers.

“You can go through the list of public safety, tax relief and parental rights,” he said. “And you can draw a very, very vivid contrast between who’s going to keep you safe, who’s going to make the cost of living go down, who’s going to believe in accountability and government, and who has voted against that every step of the way? I think that’s going to be the way things are going to be framed this fall.”

The election will be held Nov. 7, and all state Senate and House seats are up for grabs. Democrats currently control the Senate, while Republicans control the House.