The Supreme Court said three protesters who disrupted oral arguments by shouting about abortion rights were arrested Wednesday.
The charges stem from laws against using loud or abusive language in the Supreme Court building and were for demonstrating with the attempt to influence a judge.
“The individuals are being processed at the court and then will be transported to (the Metropolitan Police Department’s) Central Cellblock,” a spokesperson for the high court told The Washington Times.
Pro-choice activists had interrupted oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case unrelated to women’s rights.
Three people shouted during the hour-and-a-half-long hearing, but were escorted out by police.
“I respectfully rise to denounce Dobbs!” the first woman yelled just as the case began to be heard by the high court, referencing the court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling in June, Bloomberg reported. “American women, remember to vote!”
“Our right to choose will not be taken away,” another protester shouted. “Women, vote for our right to choose.”
The disruptions could be heard on the court’s audio livestream, but exactly what was said was inaudible.
Disruptions during oral arguments are rare, as the public is instructed to remain seated and quiet.
It was the first protest inside the courtroom since the conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that gave women a national right to abortion. The Dobbs decision sent the issue back to state legislatures.
The case on Wednesday did not relate to abortion. It was Bittner v. United States, which concerns the amount of fines for unreported foreign accounts under the Bank Secrecy Act.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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