Supreme Court Justice Alito Says He Has ‘Pretty Good Idea’ Who Leaker Is

Supreme Court Justice Believes Leak of Draft Opinion Was Meant to “Intimidate” Court

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito revealed his belief that the leak of a draft opinion last May, which ultimately ended the nationwide right to abortion, was an attempt to intimidate the court into changing its decision.

Efforts to Prevent Dobbs Decision

Alito stated that the leak was “part of an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft…from becoming the decision of the court,” referring to the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. He went on to explain that the leaked draft was used by outside parties for six weeks as part of a campaign to intimidate the court.

Investigation Fails to Identify Responsible Party

The comments by Justice Alito, who wrote the Dobbs decision, come after the court’s investigation failed to identify the party responsible for disclosing the draft. While Alito believes he knows who leaked the decision to Politico, he did not provide evidence to support his claim.

Americans’ Views on the Supreme Court

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a narrow majority of Americans – 56% – view the U.S. Supreme Court unfavorably. Partisanship colors this view, with 72% of Democratic respondents viewing the court unfavorably and 65% of Republicans seeing it favorably.

• Key Takeaway: Justice Alito believes the leak of a draft opinion ending the nationwide right to abortion was an attempt to intimidate the court into changing its decision.
• Investigation: The court’s investigation failed to identify the responsible party for disclosing the draft.
• Americans’ Views: A narrow majority of Americans view the U.S. Supreme Court unfavorably, with partisanship playing a significant role in this view.