{"id":1464533,"date":"2022-05-05T07:45:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T11:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1464533"},"modified":"2022-05-05T07:45:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T11:45:18","slug":"the-scotus-leaker-could-end-up-behind-bars-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-scotus-leaker-could-end-up-behind-bars-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"The SCOTUS Leaker Could End Up Behind Bars. Here\u2019s How."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-scotus-leaker-could-end-up-behind-bars-heres-how%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1464533&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Prosecutors could pursue criminal charges against the individual who leaked the draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision to the press, but the case is more complicated if the leaker had a right to access the document, according to Zack Smith, a legal fellow for the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cWhat many people think is the most likely scenario is that a law clerk or a court employee who had a right to access it then took it and leaked it to the press. That is a more difficult thing to prosecute,\u201d Smith told the DCNF.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Investigators could have court employees testify to their innocence in signed testimonies to potentially allow prosecutors to charge the leaker with making false statements to government officials. <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The government\u2019s best shot at prosecuting the individual who leaked the Supreme Court\u2019s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization may involve having potential suspects testify to their innocence in signed statements, a legal expert told the Daily Caller News Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/05\/02\/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">published<\/a> a leaked draft opinion Monday revealing the Court would likely overturn Roe v. Wade, leading to speculation about whether the leaker\u2019s actions were illegal. However, many of the potential charges that could be levied against the leaker aren\u2019t a perfect fit for the unprecedented incident, Zack Smith, a legal fellow for the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors could pursue charges for theft of government property on top of potentially making false statements to federal officials, Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the Marshal, at the Chief Justice\u2019s direction, asks each person to sign a statement saying they did not leak the document and sign it under penalty of perjury, and it turns out someone lies, then they\u2019re guilty of a [18 USC \u00a7] 1001 violation,\u201d Smith told the DCNF, referring to a law against making false statements to certain government officials during investigations. \u201cIt\u2019s a felony. The charges would be fairly significant.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BREAKING: Roberts confirms authenticity of draft Dobbs opinion, says it doesn\u2019t represent anyone\u2019s final position. He has directed Supreme Court marshal to investigate. \u201cThe work of the Court will not be affected in any way.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XuTEjZbU2M\">pic.twitter.com\/XuTEjZbU2M<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GregStohr\/status\/1521509448480702464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 3, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The hypothetical case against the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/05\/02\/rachel-maddow-liberals-praise-supreme-court-leaker-dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-roe-v-wade\/\">leaker<\/a> hinges largely on whether the person had the right to access the draft opinion, Smith explained. If someone stole the documents from a briefcase, for example, that person is guilty of theft and prosecutors could potentially charge them for stealing government property. The case is more complicated if the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/05\/03\/judicial-insurrection-ron-desantis-dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-roe-v-wade\/\">leak<\/a> came from someone who had a right to access the document.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat many people think is the most likely scenario is that a law clerk or a court employee who had a right to access it then took it and leaked it to the press. That is a more difficult thing to prosecute,\u201d Smith told the DCNF.<\/p>\n<p>A court employee who knowingly lies to government officials about having <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/05\/02\/supreme-court-overturn-roe-v-wade-dobbs-jackson-womens-health-abortion\/\">leaked<\/a> the document, however, could be prosecuted for knowingly providing false information to government officials under 18 USC \u00a7 1001, even where the criminal case for the leak itself is more complicated.<\/p>\n<p>The statements would need to be \u201cpart of a careful, nuanced investigation where someone understands that they are giving a statement and that if they give false information they can be criminally prosecuted,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThat\u2019s a perfectly appropriate use of 1001 and it\u2019s something criminal investigators do around the country, I suspect, every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The signed statements could also help advance the Marshal of the Court\u2019s investigation of the leak, according to Smith.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf someone refuses to sign, well, that\u2019s probably a good place to start the investigation,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt would certainly be an easier prosecution to investigate and prove in court for a prosecutor in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Supreme Court leaker is a criminal.<\/p>\n<p>18 U.S.C. \u00a7 641 makes it a crime to \u201cknowingly convert\u2026 any record\u201d of the United States for one\u2019s personal use \u2013 including legal opinions.<\/p>\n<p>The penalty is 1 to 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClintEhrlich\/status\/1521316416191750145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 3, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4\">\n<div id=\"id__vphoagp1zv\" class=\"css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0\" dir=\"auto\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told the DCNF the leak was an attempt to pressure justices to change their minds about their decision in Dobbs and warranted an investigation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>\u201cThe Court was damaged. We need to know how much, and if it can be repaired,\u201d Fitton said. \u201cIt\u2019s fair to ask who benefits \u2026 that\u2019s the Left, who has long thought certain justices on the Supreme Court can be swayed under public pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe danger here is the intimidation that\u2019s already happening and the potential for violence directed at the justices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Other legal experts were also concerned about the impact of the leak and viewed it as a criminal act.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Clint Ehrlich, an attorney and legal commentator, said the leaker could serve up to ten years in prison under a different law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Supreme Court leaker is a criminal. 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 641 makes it a crime to \u2018knowingly convert\u2026 any record\u2019 of the United States for one\u2019s personal use \u2013 including legal opinions,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/clintehrlich\/status\/1521316416191750145?s=21&#038;t=SWNQ-2tXsrx2ZfjhMEVwvA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>. \u201cThe penalty is 1 to 10 years in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">(That \u201cbrave clerk\u201d would likely become a felon for \u201cobstruction of justice.\u201d) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bYOzlhY0Dl\">https:\/\/t.co\/bYOzlhY0Dl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Mike Davis \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@mrddmia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrddmia\/status\/1521305484665360387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 3, 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n\">\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4\">\n<div class=\"css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-vrz42v r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0\" dir=\"auto\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>\u201cThat \u2018brave clerk\u2019 would likely become a felon for \u2018obstruction of justice,&#8217;\u201d Mike Davis, a former law clerk for Justice Neil Gorsuch, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mrddmia\/status\/1521305484665360387\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote<\/a> on Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" lang=\"en\">\n<p>There\u2019s no guarantee that a criminal investigation would be successful in this situation, but that does not detract from the seriousness of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/05\/03\/legal-experts-supreme-court-roe-v-wade-dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health\/\">incident<\/a>, Smith explained. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2022\/05\/03\/abortion-planned-parenthood-naral-emilys-list-center-for-reproductive-health-supreme-court-dobbs-roe\/\">(RELATED: \u2018Deepest Fears Are Coming True\u2019: Abortion Lobby Plots Response To Likely Overturn Of Roe)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s going to have calamitous consequences for the Court. One of the things the Court depends on is for the justices and their staff to be able to freely exchange ideas. That is likely damaged,\u201d he said. \u201cThis certainly appears to be an attempt to bully or intimidate judges.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prosecutors could pursue criminal charges against the individual who leaked the draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision to the press, but the case is more complicated if the leaker<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1464533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1464533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1464533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1464533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1464533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}