WASHINGTON D.C. — Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on July 14, 2026. The testimony will concern the Supreme Court's fiscal 2027 budget request.

This appearance marks the first time Supreme Court justices will have testified before Congress since 2019. The hearing will take place two weeks after the Supreme Court issues its final opinions for the 2025-26 term.

Justice Kagan has served on the Supreme Court since 2010, appointed by Barack Obama. Justice Barrett has served on the Supreme Court since 2020, following her appointment by Donald Trump.

In his 2019 opening statement to the subcommittee, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito expressed gratitude for past funding. "[T]hanks for providing the Court with a substantial amount of additional security funding last year," Alito said. He added, "We are carefully and deliberately putting those new funds to work based on a top-to-bottom review of our current practices by highly regarded and experienced security experts." In October 2025, Nicholas Roske was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.

Why It Matters

The upcoming testimony by Justices Kagan and Barrett before a House Appropriations subcommittee represents a direct engagement between the judicial and legislative branches concerning the Supreme Court's budgetary needs. This event marks the first instance of Supreme Court justices testifying to Congress in seven years, offering a direct opportunity for federal lawmakers to question the justices regarding the Supreme Court's fiscal 2027 budget request. The last such testimony in 2019, provided by Justice Alito, emphasized the use of security funding, indicating that court security has been a topic of interest during these budget discussions.