Workers erected a large fence around the Supreme Court building late Wednesday, and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. canceled a public appearance as fallout from a leaked draft opinion on abortion continued to ripple from Washington.
The tall black fencing is akin to the non-scalable barrier that went up around the U.S. Capitol after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
There are fears of unrest after Politico published a leaked draft of an opinion that would undo the right to abortion set forth in the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. The incident set off a firestorm, with street protests over the threat to abortion rights and outrage over the leak itself.
Justice Alito canceled an appearance at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s judicial conference set to begin Thursday, according to Reuters.
No reason was given, but the justice wrote the draft opinion circulated in February. The Supreme Court confirmed its authenticity, leading to rampant speculation about whether a liberal clerk leaked the draft as a kind of warning or if a conservative aide released it to lock in the majority and prevent flip-flops when the opinion is finalized and issued.
Democratic efforts to codify abortion rights have failed in Congress. Sen. Joe Manchin III, West Virginia Democrat, said he doesn’t want to waive filibuster rules in the evenly divided Senate, though his party will use the debate to try and energize voters as it faces a daunting mid-term election season.
Democratic officials in blue states have vowed to protect abortion rights if the issue is left up to the states.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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