Judicial security measure clears U.S. Congress as part of defense bill

U.S. District Judge Esther Salas and her husband Mark Anderl speak with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) after a proposed legislation to safeguard the privacy of judges and their families moved forward in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting at the Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. December 2, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The U.S. Congress on Thursday passed legislation that would allow U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges to shield their personal information from being viewed online in response to a rising number of threats targeting them.

The Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, named for the son of a federal judge who was fatally shot in 2020, was attached to the annual must-pass defense policy bill that the Senate endorsed 83-11.