Supreme Court’s Use of Security Curbed : Government: Justices have used police detail to ferry relatives, assist with grocery shopping and help out at wedding receptions.
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices have used the court’s security force to provide taxi service for visiting relatives, work overtime at wedding receptions and push supermarket carts.
Such assignments have sparked resentment and led to a policy aimed at curtailing abuses, the Associated Press has learned.
The 80-member police force represents about one-fourth of the high court’s total employees. Ten years ago, Congress broadened the court’s authority to use police for security after one of the justices was attacked.
“I really don’t want to get into specifics,†court spokeswoman Toni House said when asked about recent activities. “There were some past practices when no firm policy was in place. They have been discontinued.â€
Incidents cited by court employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, include:
* When Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s daughter, Kristin, was married last weekend, her parents were hosts of a reception for 300 guests at the stately court building.
About a dozen court police officers were assigned to overtime duty to drive justices and other guests to the reception and to help with security.
Similar arrangements were made for wedding receptions hosted by other court members, most recently Justice Antonin Scalia for one of his daughters.
* Retired Chief Justice Warren E. Burger had to be told that court police officers no longer could be deployed to help his wife with her grocery shopping. Officers had driven her to the supermarket and pushed her cart through the aisles.
* Several justices routinely have used police officers and court cars to pick up visiting relatives at area airports or ferry them on sightseeing excursions.
House said she had no knowledge of the shopping or relative-driving incidents.
She said the Kennedy wedding was an “authorized court function, no different than any other official function†that requires court police officers to be on duty.
Kennedy did not have to pay for using the building, but apparently did pay the bill for a caterer, a dance floor and flowers.
House said police officers are no longer used as drivers unless a justice is in the car with them.
“This is the sort of policy that, by and large, is controlled by the chief justice (William H. Rehnquist),†House said. “He often confers with his colleagues, but the policy was worked out by the marshal (Alfred Wong) in conjunction with the chief justice.â€
The nine justices have long enjoyed a perquisite provided by law--being driven to and from work.
Then, after a man punched Justice Byron R. White in the face and head in an incident in Salt Lake City in 1982, Congress enacted a separate law authorizing the use of court police to protect justices anywhere in the country.
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