A bulletproof vest does not define Amy Coney Barrett’s jurisprudence

Last week, while testifying before Congress in support of additional funding for Supreme Court security, Justice Amy Coney Barrett described how escalating threats against the justices have affected her family.

She recalled that her then-12-year-old son once asked why she needed to wear a bulletproof vest.

Barrett should not have to defend her integrity because her children are frightened. She did not take an oath to place her family in danger.

Some commentators seized on the story as evidence that threats may have altered Barrett’s judicial outlook. They suggest that fear for her life — and the lives of her family members — has compromised her objectivity or influenced how she approaches cases before the court.

That claim does not withstand scrutiny.

The critics are searching for an explanation for