Workers erected a large fence around the U.S. Supreme Court building late Wednesday night, two days after Politico published a leaked draft opinion striking down the abortion precedent Roe v. Wade (1973). The same night, Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the draft, canceled a public appearance.
Work crews erected “tall, non-scalable fencing” around the Court, as Fox 5’s Lindsay Watts put it.
Alito scrapped plans to participate in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judicial conference, which is slated to begin Thursday. He canceled the appearance for reasons that have not been disclosed, Reuters reported. Alito is tasked with reviewing emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit.
Alito’s colleagues, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas, were slated to give remarks at a similar conference for the 11th Circuit Thursday and Friday, according to a program Reuters acquired. It remains unclear if they will still appear.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed Tuesday that Alito’s draft opinion in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was genuine – although the draft dates back to February, and it does not represent the current or final opinion of the court. In the draft, Alito strikes down Roe v. Wade, which struck down state laws across the country, and allows states to again make their own laws on abortion.
The move unleashed a firestorm of controversy, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., condemning the draft opinion as an “abomination.”
Washington, D.C., police activated protest units amid large protests in front of the building Tuesday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., joined crowds and shouted until her voice became hoarse.