This past June, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion regulation to state legislatures. One of the court’s most controversial rulings continues to reverberate through the corridors of justice.

Disclosure of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion was unprecedented and had perilous repercussions for Supreme Court justices.

The disclosure, which Politico published on May 2, 2022, ultimately resulted in months of protests outside the residences of Supreme Court justices. An armed individual was apprehended after telling law enforcement that he had traveled to Virginia to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

As reported by The New York Post, Gail Curley, the marshal of the Supreme Court, stated in January that she had been unable to definitively determine the leaker’s identity, despite an official investigation into the leak that was ordered by Chief Justice John Roberts in July, following weeks of protests outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices that raised safety concerns for the Justices.

The Washington DC Examiner reported:

The leak shook the court and had major effects on the safety of the majority opinion judges due to the high-stakes, controversial nature of the decision. “It was rational for people to believe that they might be able to stop the decision in Dobbs by killing one of us,” Alito said of the threats the Justices faced following the leaks.

Alito’s concerns were realized in the June assassination conspiracy against Brett Kavanaugh, which was foiled by the FBI. CNN reported that the FBI overheard the would-be assassin discussing his plans to “stop Roe v. Wade from being overturned” by “remov[ing] some people from the supreme court.”

This threat to the security of the justice system is unprecedented, and it is highly unlikely that investigators will cease their investigation until more information is revealed. In fact, one of the justices has stated that he remains concerned and has developed a theory regarding the leaker’s identity.

Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, told the DC Enquirer on Friday that he has a “pretty good idea” who leaked his draft opinion on overturning Roe v. Wade in May.

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

Justice Alito says he is also certain of the reasoning behind the leaked Dobbs draft. “I personally have a pretty good idea who is responsible, but that’s different from the level of proof that is needed to name somebody,” Alito told The Wall Street Journal. “It was a part of an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft… from becoming the decision of the court.” CONTINUE READING…