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A draft of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked by someone who committed a crime and who could be charged with obstruction of justice, according to former Attorney General Bill Barr.
This leak instantly triggered left-wing activists and protesters who took to the streets, even protesting outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.
In response to the leak and subsequent protests, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said, “We can’t be an institution that can be bullied into give you the outcomes you want. The events from earlier this week are a symptom of that.”
Thomas’ comment came has he was speaking to a judicial conference. Breitbart notes that “the elephant in the room that no one can ignore is the leaked draft opinion in the Dobbs case, which would overrule Roe v. Wade.”
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, this would leave the issue of abortion to voters at the state level, rather than the federal government deciding for every state.
Chief Justice John Roberts spoke to the same conference. He said the leak of the draft is “absolutely appalling.”
Justice Roberts has reportedly ordered the marshal of the court to begin an investigation into the leak.
The goal of the investigation is to discover who leaked Justice Samuel Alito’s ruling striking down the landmark 1973 decision.
“It really is unprecedented,” former Attorney General Barr explained, adding that the person could face charges of obstructing the administration of justice and “the due process of justice.”
“Obstruction means you’re attempting to influence through some kind of wrongdoing. I don’t think it’s a stretch,” he said.
“The chief would’ve had the option, perhaps he still will, to appoint a counsel. A special counsel. Not in the classical criminal sense, but the court can appoint a counsel and bring in a former US attorney or someone with a law background,” Barr explained.
“I’m sure he would get the support he needed from the FBI or any other law enforcement agency,” Barr said.
“Our institutions have become increasingly politicized, but I never imagined this could happen to the Supreme Court, which has always protected its confidentiality, and for someone to let this out in order to influence the final decision is really beyond the pale,” Barr added.
More on this story via Breitbart:
Militant leftists have been pressuring conservative justices to switch their votes to retain Roe, in which the Supreme Court in 1973 invented a right to abortion that was found in the text, structure, or 180-year history of the Constitution.
— Advertisement — The court will have none of it, the longest-serving member currently on the Court assured the crowd.
No stranger to opposition, Thomas’s remarks are characteristic of the justice, who is often willing to be the sole dissent in an 8-1 decision. As the senior associate justice, many regard Thomas as the anchor of the conservative wing of the court.
A Supreme Court opinion only becomes official when it is released. Given that the leak was of a full draft circulated on February 10, the final opinion could be ready for release at any time.
