Political Leaders Trade Barbs Over Inflamed Abortion Protests
Though characterizing Republican outrage over abortion protests as a distraction from the core issue, Democrats are urging activists to temper techniques and avoid vandalism or personal threats.
The Washington Post:
Some Democrats Warn Abortion Rights Demonstrators Not To Go Overboard
While Democrats dismissed the Republican complaints as disingenuous, a person familiar with the White House’s thinking said that there is potential risk if the abortion rights demonstrations do turn violent, or if there is a marked uptick in vandalism targeting antiabortion groups and organizations. Democrats hope the draft opinion — and the expected final opinion in the coming weeks — will galvanize voters to turn out for the midterms and back their candidates. But if the passion turns violent, it could backfire, this person said. (Parker and Linskey, 5/10)
The Washington Post:
Youngkin Gets Backlash Over Stance On Protests Outside Alito’s Home
As abortion rights activists picketed outside the Alexandria home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. on Monday night, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin popped up on Twitter to say state police were nearby and “closely monitoring” the protests. Then came the backlash — from conservatives, who demanded that the new Republican governor order the troopers to arrest the demonstrators under a state law prohibiting picketing outside private residences — even though it’s up to local police, not state troopers, to enforce that law. (Vozzella and Schneider, 5/10)
The Washington Post:
How The Rumor About Alito And An ‘Undisclosed Location’ Spread
It has become a nugget embedded in the many reports and social media posts expressing outrage about protests at Supreme Court justices’ homes in support of Roe v. Wade: the idea that Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. was forced to vacate his residence for an “undisclosed location” out of fear for his safety. The only problem is that it doesn’t seem to be based on anything. It could turn out to be true that Alito and his family left their home — but various people spread the rumor without any actual reports substantiating it. And it provides a great case study in how a rumor gets laundered into supposed fact, making it all the way into the Twitter feeds of multiple U.S. senators. (Blake, 5/9)
In news about Supreme Court ethics and expansion —
The Hill:
Democratic Support For SCOTUS Expansion Grows After Leak
Support for a bill to expand the Supreme Court has ticked up among House Democrats in the aftermath of a leaked opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade becoming public. Since the leak, the Judiciary Act of 2021 has picked up support from five more Democrats. The one-sentence bill would expand the Supreme Court from nine members to 13.In the last week, Democratic Reps. Brendan Boyle (Pa.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (Calif.), David Cicilline (R.I.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), and Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.) have added their names to the legislation, bringing the total number of bill sponsors to at least 56. (Brooks, 5/10)
The Washington Post:
With Supreme Court In Spotlight, Warren And Jayapal Push Judicial Ethics Overhaul
In the wake of explosive revelations related to the Supreme Court, a group of liberal House and Senate Democrats is introducing new legislation to tighten judicial ethics laws, reflecting the rising anger on the left over the recent conduct of the high court’s conservative majority. A draft proposal from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), shared with The Washington Post, calls for more disclosure, a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court and a new judicial recusal process. The Supreme Court is the only court in the country that is not required to abide by a judicial code of ethics. (Alemany, 5/10)
Also —
Politico:
Will Alito Crown A New ‘Great Dissenter’?
The very first Supreme Court justice mentioned in Samuel Alito’s draft opinion striking down Roe v. Wade is neither a judicial eminence from American history nor a current colleague ripe for flattery. It’s the late football star turned Rhodes Scholar Byron “Whizzer” White, who served from 1962 to 1993. Until now, White seemed destined to fade into obscurity, lacking a clear profile as a judicial thinker. But he was one of two dissenters on the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision that Alito aims to overturn, and Alito quotes him with gusto, at times with a reverential tone. (Canellos, 5/10)
