Lauren Moye, FISM News
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By all appearances, the Supreme Court’s leaked majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization remains unchanged. This opinion will overturn both the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which legalized abortion, and the subsequent Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling that upheld the earlier decision. But the gutsy decision has literally followed some of the justices home to their families in the form of protestors after their home addresses were doxed, sparking concerns for the justices’ safety.
The unprecedented leak of the draft opinion occurred on May 2. Two days later, workers constructed a fence around the U.S. Supreme Court building as a security measure against protestors. FISM’s Chris Lange reported that Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the draft, canceled a public appearance at the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judicial conference on that same day due to the “crowd of screaming, sign-wielding protestors” outside.
However, the protestors crossed a line after pro-choice activists doxed the addresses of justices. Hundreds of protestors picketed and chanted outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s residence. They marched to nearby Chief Justice John Roberts later that evening, despite evidence that Roberts sided against overturning Roe.
The scene in front of Chief Justice John Roberts’ house pic.twitter.com/vJVxxFoMNO
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) May 7, 2022
Liberal group Ruth Sent Us also announced a planned walk-by of “six extremist justices” on Wednesday of this week. While details of the protest have not been made public, it is known the walk-by will occur outside the homes of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Alito, and Roberts.
Some have questioned if these protests are illegal. 18 U.S. Code 1507 describes that anybody who protests outside of a judge’s home, among other court officials, with “the intent of interfering, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice” can face fines, a year’s imprisonment, or both.
The potential danger to the lives of the Justices is a concern, who now have 24/7 increased security due to the heightened tension. Additionally, Breitbart reported that Justice Samuel Alito has taken his family into hiding at an undisclosed location. This rumor is based on interviews on Fox News and WMAL radio, as well as the concern that Alito faces increased danger for his role as the author of the leaked draft.
This security threat has been largely overlooked by liberals, even after one protest organizer, Lacie Wooten-Holway, told Bloomberg, “The time for civility is over.”
President Joe Biden has so far refused to condemn the actions taken by protestors. During Friday’s White House press briefing, it was asked if the President wanted protestors to influence the justices after the leaked opinion piece.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki replied, “The president believes in peaceful protest. He believes that’s part of our democracy and part of the history of the United States and this country.”
She added that Biden “respects” the “independence” of the Supreme Court, before stating, “He believes in peaceful protests, but they’re going to make decisions they make, and we’re not going to prejudge a final opinion.”
The President’s refusal to refute the intimidation tactics of abortion proponents has frustrated conservative lawmakers. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) called it “disgraceful” in an interview with Fox’s Maria Bartiromo. He added, “He’s literally threatening the lives of these justices by the move they’re unleashing. It’s the same thing we saw with Black Lives Matter and Antifa riots where the left embraced them, and now they’re embracing mob violence to get their partisan outcome.”
Republican communicator Matt Whitlock tweeted, “I repeat – if Sonia Sotomayor had to pack up her family and leave her home for safety because conservatives didn’t like an opinion, it would get January 6th level coverage.”