Fencing was rapidly erected around the Supreme Court building in Washington DC Monday night.
Right now: Barricades are up around the Supreme Court building, just minutes after reports from Politico were leaked indicating SCOTUS has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. pic.twitter.com/LxR9rbs6TF
— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) May 3, 2022
The action came immediately after news broke regarding the leak of an alleged draft of the Supreme Court’s majority opinion by Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade.
Huge crowd in front of #scotus. Loud chants of “We will not go back.” pic.twitter.com/mlYJuCEzqy
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) May 3, 2022
Shortly thereafter, a huge crowd of protestors reportedly began gathering in front of the building and chanting “We will not go back.”
13 cops just showed up behind the fence at the steps of @scotus
— Jordan Chamberlain (@jordylancaster) May 3, 2022
Tension mounted as protestors and counter protestors faced off in front of the building. In video, the crowd can be heard chanting: “Fascist scum has got to go.”
Crowd of protesters is growing quickly, and pushing toward the barricade that the handful of guards put up earlier tonight. Chants of “fascist scum have got to go,” interspersed with the names of the conservative justices pic.twitter.com/2OHtE2pLuy
— Nate Hochman (@njhochman) May 3, 2022
A bunch of ragtag groups of protesters have banded together for a unified chant of “Hey hey! Abortion bans have got to go!” pic.twitter.com/Z2I1k09t4J
— Cami Mondeaux (@cami_mondeaux) May 3, 2022
There was speculation, as well as concern, that the leak was intentionally orchestrated to target the conservative justices of the court. According to the report, Alito’s decision was supported by fellow justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and possibly Chief Justice John Roberts.
Conservative justices will have their lives and the lives of their families threatened. The person who leaked this knows that.
— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) May 3, 2022
Former federal prosecutor and Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy tweeted regarding the report, “If this story is true, the Court should issue its opinion right away. Otherwise the disgraceful leak wins. I would say that if my side lost. If we lose the integrity of the Court’s process, we lose the Court. That should be intolerable to all of us who live the country.”
If this story is true, the Court should issue its opinion right away. Otherwise the disgraceful leak wins. I would say that if my side lost. If we lose the integrity of the Court’s process, we lose the Court. That should be intolerable to all of us who live the country.
— Andy McCarthy (@AndrewCMcCarthy) May 3, 2022
A clerk reportedly told journalist Benny Johnson. “This leak has to come from a clerk or Justice themselves. It is intended to blow up the court. Criminal investigation needs to happen now.”
Just spoke with former Supreme Court clerk. They are horrified.
This is a quote:"This leak has to come from a clerk or Justice themselves. It is intended to blow up the court. Criminal investigation needs to happen now."
They suggest Sotomayor has most radical leftist staff.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 3, 2022
Jonathan Turley, Shapiro Chair of Public Interest Law at George Washington University said, “The alleged leak of the opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is nothing short of breathtaking. It would constitute one of the greatest breaches of security in the history of the Court. The article represents the greatest crisis that Chief Justice John Roberts has faced in his tenure on the Court. It is a breach of the most fundamental obligations and traditions of the Court. If this is a true copy of the draft opinion it is hard not to view this as a malicious act. What is the motivation of releasing such a decision? The only intent of such a leak is to trigger a response from outside of the Court. This draft is from February and the majority can shift on such opinions. However, the act of leaking such a draft opinion ranks as an original sin for judicial ethics. The most likely motivation is obviously to pressure the Court and push the legislation in Congress on a federal abortion law before the midterm elections. It will also likely renew the call for court packing.”
Story cited here.