(NewsNation) — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts used his year-end report to highlight violent threats faced by the nation’s judges.

“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,” he wrote. “A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear.”

Roberts’ warning came after an armed man was arrested earlier this year for allegedly plotting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

During an appearance on “Rush Hour,” former Secret Service agent Jeff James described the climate that judges face.

“From 2016 to 2021, there were over 4,000 threats and attacks on judges nationwide. So, I would say that while this moment may seem seminal to the justices, we’ve seen these attacks on justices throughout time,” James noted.

He pointed to the political environment as well as modern technology as contributing to threats.

“With the climate now and the ease that people have in being able to find out where the justices live — and not just the Supreme Court justices, but every judge in the United States; it’s easy to find out where these men and women live — I don’t see it subsiding,” he said.