The barrier is similar to the one erected on Capitol Hill after Jan. 6.
An imposing, “unscalable” eight-foot-high fence has been erected at the US Supreme Court in the wake of protests over a bombshell abortion bill.
The leaked ruling, not yet final but confirmed by the court as authentic, indicated that its conservative majority is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that has guaranteed women’s right to abortion for nearly 50 years.
Abortion rights activists, and some anti-abortion protesters, have demonstrated at the Supreme Court every day since Politico informed of the draft of the document Monday, including preliminary majority votes.
Protesters from both sides of the issue gathered again in front of the building around noon Thursday after the fence was put up overnight.
Neither the Supreme Court nor the Capitol Police have said anything publicly about possible threats to the court or the judges.
The protests outside the marble steps at the front of the courthouse have been largely peaceful, leading some to question why the new security barrier, reminiscent of the unscalable fence placed around the US Capitol, is necessary. USA after the violence of January 6, 2021.
John Becker, a spokesman for Catholics For Choice, said the moves seem “ominous and disproportionate to what has actually been going on in that plaza.”
But the court has often been a magnet for threats and security concerns. Just two weeks ago, a man allegedly described as an environmental activist died after setting himself on fire in the court’s main square, possibly related to his views on climate change.
A Supreme Court spokeswoman declined to comment on the fence, citing a longstanding policy of not speaking about security operations.
The judges are scheduled to meet in person for a private conference on May 12. A final decision in the abortion case, which centers on a Mississippi law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, is expected in late June or early July. .
In the draft opinion, dated February 10, Judge Samuel Alito wrote, “Roe was terribly wrong from the start,” adding, “We hold that Roe and Casey should be overturned.”
If Alito’s draft document were kept as written, access to abortion across the country could change. Thirteen states have so-called “trigger laws” to quickly ban abortion if Roe v. Wade.
Democrats on Capitol Hill are working to introduce legislation that codifies abortion rights at the federal level. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he plans to hold a vote next week.
The House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify Roe last fall, but the bill has stalled in the Senate. Any other legislation would likely meet a similar fate in the evenly split chamber.
The language of the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion has raised concerns that other unenumerated rights may be at stake, including gay marriage and contraception.
“This is about so much more than abortion,” President Joe Biden said Wednesday during remarks at the White House.
“What are the next things that are going to be attacked?” Biden asked. “Because this MAGA crowd is really the most extreme political organization that has ever existed in the history of the United States, in the recent history of the United States.”
The court confirmed Tuesday that the draft was authentic, and Roberts said he led the launch of an investigation into the leak. Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley, a career Army attorney, will lead the investigation.
“We at the Court are fortunate to have a workforce — both permanent employees and paralegals — intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting confidentiality. of the judicial process and defend the confidence of the Court,” Roberts said in a statement. “This was a singular and egregious violation of that trust which is an affront to the Court and to the community of public servants who work here.”
Devin Dwyer and Luke Barr of ABC News contributed to this report.
Reference-abcnews.go.com