Both of their bodyguards were involved in shooting incidents.
Recently, a Deputy U.S. Marshall who was tasked with protecting Justice Sotomayor was forced to shoot a carjacker:
One of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security team members shot an armed man during an attempted carjacking in the early hours of the morning, as per court documents.
The incident occurred when two deputy U.S. Marshals were on duty in a government vehicle in Washington, D.C., around 1 a.m. on July 5. They were approached by a man who exited a silver minivan and aimed a gun at one of them through the driver’s side window, according to a criminal complaint. The vehicle was unmarked, but the deputies were wearing U.S. Marshals shirts.
The deputy drew his department-issued firearm and fired at the man approximately four times, striking him in the mouth. He then provided first aid to the man as the minivan drove away, the charges stated. The suspect was taken to the hospital and subsequently arrested on charges of attempted carjacking and resisting officers.
In 1889, the Attorney General appointed David Neagle, a Deputy U.S. Marshall, to act as bodyguard for Justice Stephen Field. Neagle ended up fatally shooting a man while Justice Field was traveling on circuit in California. Although there was no specific statute authorizing the Attorney General to appoint a bodyguard, the Supreme Court ruled in In Re Neagle that the Attorney General could rely on the President’s duty to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed.
Interestingly, this shooting incident may be one of the few things that Justices Sotomayor and Field have in common. It is likely that Sotomayor would not align with Field’s viewpoint in Bradwell v. Illinois.
