Supreme Court says leaked abortion draft is genuine; Roberts orders investigation into leak

Pro-abortion and anti-abortion demonstrators protest exterior the U.S. Supreme Court after the leak of a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito preparing for a majority of the courtroom to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights resolution later this 12 months, in Washington, U.S., Might 3, 2022. 

Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft courtroom opinion that may toss out longstanding abortion rights, however noted that is not the court's last decision.

Roberts ordered an investigation into the leaker.

"To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it won't succeed," the chief justice stated in an announcement. "The work of the Court docket will not be affected in any means."

"I have directed the Marshal of the Courtroom to launch an investigation into the supply of the leak," Roberts mentioned.

The advance publication of a draft opinion is nearly unprecedented for the high courtroom, where leaks of any form are exceedingly uncommon.

The court shares drafts of opinions internally long before they are issued publicly, Roberts famous, calling it "a routine and important part of the Court docket's confidential deliberative work."

The draft on this high-profile abortion case was created in February, in keeping with Politico, which obtained the opinion.

The justices, regulation clerks and different workers of the court are "intensely loyal to the establishment and devoted to the rule of law," Roberts said.

"Courtroom employees have an exemplary and vital tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Courtroom. This was a singular and egregious breach of that belief that's an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here," he said.

The publication of the draft opinion rocked Washington, triggering waves of shock and fury from Democrats who are now pushing for Congress to instantly codify abortion rights through legislation.

Republicans decried the leak itself, and many called for the form of investigation the Roberts announced late Tuesday morning. The GOP lawmakers who commented on the draft opinion praised it for placing decisions about abortion in the fingers of states as a substitute of the federal authorities.

The 98-page draft opinion was penned by Justice Samuel Alito, considered one of six conservatives on a court docket that has moved sharply to the best in the wake of the Trump administration.

Alito's draft would toss out the precedent set by the 1973 case Roe v. Wade and reaffirmed in 1992 by Deliberate Parenthood v. Casey. These pivotal rulings protect the correct to get an abortion before the point of fetal viability and require that laws limiting abortion access do not pose an "undue burden."

Alito wrote: "We maintain that Roe and Casey have to be overruled."

The draft of the opinion of the court in Dobbs v. Jackson Girls's Health Group would facet with the state of Mississippi in defense of a regulation that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant.

Lower federal courts had blocked the legislation on the grounds that it violates the protections established by the Roe and Casey choices.

That is breaking news. Please examine back for updates.