WASHINGTON, DC – The leftist pushback stemming from the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade is continuing to expand, with reports coming out that some leftist groups are planning to protest outside of the homes [1] of the conservative Supreme Court Justices.
According to a Fox News report regarding the latest on leftists’ outrage over the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a group reportedly operating under the name “Ruth Sent Us” – clearly an allusion to the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – has apparently published the alleged home addresses [2] of Justices Amy Coney Barrett, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch in order to foment a harassment campaign at these justices’ homes.
This activist group’s website reads, “Our 6-3 extremist Supreme Court routinely issues rulings that hurt women, racial minorities, LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights. We must rise up to force accountability using a diversity of tactics,” where the group announced what they called “Walk-by Wednesday” slated for May 11th.
“ANNOUNCING: Walk-by Wednesday, May 11, 2022! At the homes of the six extremist justices, three in Virginia and three in Maryland. If you’d like to join or lead a peaceful protest, let us know.”
Details on who runs the website behind this activist group is unclear, as a Whois record on the domain [3] is peppered with “Redacted for privacy,” however, the domain was registered on November 1st, 2020, which was five days after conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Considering the contentious nature of the leaked decision that has sparked a myriad of emotional responses from leftists, compounded by leftist advocacy/protest outfits bearing a notoriety for fostering “peaceful” demonstrations into riots, a strong police presence around the justices’ homes has been reportedly activated.
Furthermore, D.C. Police has established fencing around the Supreme Court building in anticipation that protests and demonstrations slated for the upcoming weekend may get out of hand. Authorities have also activated various protest response units in D.C. that will be on deck through May 8th.
But outside of the controversy surrounding the contents of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion lies the matter of how this leak fell into the hands of a reporter at Politico.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is calling for this leaker to be identified and prosecuted, claiming that the motivation to leak the document was an obvious effort to undermine the process of the court and intimidate the justices.
“Somebody, likely somebody inside the court itself, leaked a confidential brief to the press, to stir up a pressure campaign. Whoever committed this lawless act knew exactly what it could bring about.”
While there has been swift condemnation by Republicans over this leak transpiring in tandem with calls for prosecution, a report from Wired [4] notes that while the leak itself is controversial – it’s unclear whether leaking this document to the press was illegal.
Although the report in Wired reads that if the leaker potentially “hacked into a computer of, say, a Supreme Court justice or law clerk—or swiped the paper off their desk,” then there are criminal offenses that align with those specific actions – but the leaking of the document itself is shakier ground in the realm of prosecution.