US Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion that would overturn Roe v Wade, the ruling granting federal abortion rights.
In the high court’s first public comment following the publishing of the draft late Monday, Roberts said the Supreme Court will investigate what he called an ‘egregious breach of trust.’
While confirming the authenticity of the document, published by , Roberts acknowledged it is not a finalized decision by the court.
‘Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case,’ he wrote.
The Justice said be believes the document was shared in bad faith.
‘To the extent of this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way,’ Roberts said in a separate statement.
‘We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce – permanent employees and law clerks alike – intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court,’ he said.
‘This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.’
He added: ‘I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of this leak.’
vowing that the White House will be ‘ready’ when the high court issues any ruling.
In his comments, Biden said that ‘basic fairness’ demands that Roe v Wade – which legalized abortion nationally in 1973 – is not overturned.
‘I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned,’ Biden said.
He then made a call for the election of ‘more pro-choice Senators’ and a ‘pro-choice majority in the House’ this fall in order to pass legislation that would protect abortion rights.
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