In news that will shock absolutely no one (at least no one who has been paying attention), the leak of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade most likely came from either Justice Alito or someone in his circle. And this hasn’t been the first leak either if the allegations from the bombshell New York Times article published this morning prove to be accurate.
The New York Times received information (emails, letters, and an exclusive interview) from Reverend Rob Schenk, a former anti-abortion activist who claimed that he received information about the 2014 landmark decision against contraception weeks before it was officially announced. He then used that information to prepare his own public relations push and even informed the Green family, the Christian evangelical owners of Hobby Lobby, who were the winning party in the case.
Schenk revealed to the Times that he created a network of wealthy and influential donors and couples who he would have ingratiate themselves with known conservative justices like Alito, Thomas, and (at the time) Scalia. They would befriend the justices and at any perceived opportunity push Schenk’s anti-abortion agenda, and also try to glean the Justices’ opinions on pending cases.Â
Obviously, Alito’s office, and one of the couples Schenk claimed to be part of his network, deny this major ethical breach occurred. But Schenk provided the receipts. Schenk, once famous for plotting to shove a fetus in a jar in President Clinton’s face, claims that over the past few years he has had a change of heart about the issue and regrets his past stance and tactics. He is currently attempting to rebrand himself as a progressive religious leader. He sent a letter to Chief Justice Roberts about the 2014 leak and pressed for Roberts to open an investigation.
Basically, absolutely none of this is surprising. We’ve long known, or guessed, that these crusty evangelical justices have their cronies and that it was a conservative who leaked the Dobbs decision in an attempt to rally the base. The game is always rigged! I mean, Justice Thomas won’t even recuse himself from the Jan. 6 case even though his wife was a known instigator despite it being a clear violation of the SCOTUS ethical code. Why would they treat something like people’s right to bodily autonomy any differently? The only surprising bits are Schenk’s confession and his supposed change of heart.
(via: The New York Times/Image: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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