Chief Justice John Roberts put a spotlight on judicial security needs in an annual report that comes weeks after Congress passed a bill that will allow judges to stop their personal information from being published online—a measure that faced criticism from government transparency advocates.

“The law requires every judge to swear an oath to perform his or her work without fear or favor, but we must support judges by ensuring their safety. A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear,” Roberts wrote in the 2022 year-end report.