The nine Supreme Court justices met privately Thursday for the first time since the unprecedented leak of a draft decision indicating the𝔉y are on the verge of overturning t༒he landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
The nation’s top jurists gathered in person at the Supreme Court building to discuss outstanding cases and p꧋etitio📖ns. No clerks or other staff were allowed to sit in on the conference.
The court did not say whether the draft d𓄧ocument was discussed but noted that it will release at least one opini🅺on on Monday.
Politico’s May 2 publication of the February draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito ro🍰cked the nation and sparked pr🐈otests across the country, including outside the homes of the court’s six conservative justices.
In the draft, Alito described the Court’s decisions in both Roe and a second case, 1🌱992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey, as “egregiously wrong from the start” and said only states should decide whether to put restrictions on abor🌳tion.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the draft was genuine, and described the leak as an “egregious breach of trust” be🔯fore ordering the marsha👍l of the court to launch an investigation into its source. The leaker of the document has yet to be identified, but speculation has flourished over whether the person is linked to the liberal or conservative wing of the court.
The final ruling on the case in question, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 🔴is expected at the end of June or early July.
After the draft decision was published, protests erupted outside the Supreme Court, 🥃leading to the erection of a temporary fence. Demonstrations then shifted to the homes of Alito, Roberts and fellow conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch✱ and Amy Coney Barrett.
Republicans have called on Attorney Gen꧅eral Merrick Garland to crack down on the protests, citing a federal law prohibiting demonstrations intended to influence 🍒a judge, juror, witness or court officer in a pending case.
On Wedn𝕴esday, the Justice Department announced it had mobilized the US Marshals Service to provide security for both the court building and the justices.
“Attorney General [Merrick] Garland continues to be briefed on security matters related to𒁃 the Supreme Court and Supreme Court Justices,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement. “The Attorney General directed the U.S. Mꦅarshals Service to help ensure the Justices’ safety by providing additional support to the Marshal of the Supreme Court and Supreme Court Police.”
Als🅷o Wednesday, Republican Govs. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Glenn Youngki🍒n of Virginia sent a letter to Garland urging him to “provide appropriate resources to safeguard the justices and enforce the law.”
“In short, federal law prohibits picketing the home of a judge with the aim to influence the judge’s decision making process,” they wrote. “Given that the document in question is a draft decision, it seems cl🎐ear this federal code is applicable.”
While the exact nature of Thursday’s conference remained secret, a number of former law clerks said prior to the conference ꦏthat they believed the leaked draft decision would be one of the🎶 matters discussed.
“I would be shocked if it doesn’t come up,” Megan Wold, a former Alito clerk, told the Associated Press, add𝓀ing that she believed the justices would likely enhance the precautions involving draft decisions, including limiting who has access to them.
“Roberts is in a complete bind,” Boston University law professor Kent Greenfield, who 🌺clerked for former Justice David Souter, told the AP. “He has to address it, but it doesn’t strike me that he has many options.”
With Post wires
