{"id":2594088,"date":"2026-04-23T07:44:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T07:47:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T11:47:24","slug":"how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"How Liberal Justices Used A Footnote To Drag Out Dobbs Release"},"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\">22<\/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%2Fhow-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats%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=2594088&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--><p>The Federalist report examines how liberal supreme Court justices allegedly delayed the release of the Dobbs decision by embedding a footnote in their dissent that tied dobbs to an unreleased Bruen ruling. According to Mollie Hemingway\u2019s account in her book, justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor included a footnote in their joint dissent to ensure that Dobbs could not be issued until Bruen was decided, despite the majority opinion being ready months earlier. The piece notes that the majority opinion was completed in February, while the dissent lagged, with Dobbs initially rated \u201cnot near completion\u201d in May.<\/p>\n<p>The timeline shows further delays: Gorsuch pressed for a firm date, but the dissenters would not commit; they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tim-tebow-at-march-for-life-i-now-get-to-share-my-story-because-my-mom-gave-me-a-chance\/\" title=\"Tim Tebow At March For Life: \u2018I Now Get To Share My Story\u2019 Because \u2018My Mom Gave Me A Chance\u2019\">eventually agreed<\/a> to finish by June 1 in exchange for an extension to June 15 for othre opinions. The dissent\u2019s footnote referencing Bruen effectively prevented Dobbs from issuing until Bruen\u2019s release on June 24. The article also highlights internal disagreements within the court-Breyer was more open to expediting the dissent, while Kagan reportedly balked-and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >references external threats facing<\/a> the justices, including an attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh.<\/p>\n<p>Writen by Brianna Lyman, the piece frames the events within a broader critique of how the court\u2019s internal dynamics and security concerns influenced the timing of Dobbs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NSX1Yfvy5LQ\">C-SPAN\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=How%20Liberal%20Justices%20Used%20A%20Footnote%20To%20Drag%20Out%20Dobbs%20Release%20Amid%20Assassination%20Threats&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=How%20Liberal%20Justices%20Used%20A%20Footnote%20To%20Drag%20Out%20Dobbs%20Release%20Amid%20Assassination%20Threats&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=How%20Liberal%20Justices%20Used%20A%20Footnote%20To%20Drag%20Out%20Dobbs%20Release%20Amid%20Assassination%20Threats&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/how-liberal-justices-used-a-footnote-to-drag-out-dobbs-release-amid-assassination-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>After the <em>Dobbs<\/em> decision overturning <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> was leaked in May of 2022, Justice Samuel Alito warned his colleagues that delaying its official release &ldquo;was a security threat,&rdquo; The Federalist&rsquo;s Editor-In-Chief Mollie Hemingway reports in her new book, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Alito-Justice-Reshaped-Restored-Constitution\/dp\/1541607139\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution<\/a><\/em>. Despite the danger, Justices Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Sonia Sotomayor included a footnote in their joint dissent tying <em>Dobbs<\/em> to an unreleased opinion &mdash; ensuring <em>Dobbs<\/em> could not be released until the other case was decided, Hemingway reveals.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the majority opinion was ready in February, and only the dissent needed to be finalized. But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-courts-emergency-docket-orders-frustrate-liberal-justices\/\" title=\"...\u2019s emergency docket orders frustrate liberal ...\">liberal justices&#038;rsquo<\/a>; dissent lagged, holding up the decision&rsquo;s release. When the justices convened on May 12 to assess the progress of the pending opinions, <em>Dobbs<\/em> was graded a &ldquo;C,&rdquo; meaning it was &ldquo;not near completion&rdquo; despite the majority opinion having been completed for months.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-204819969\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Gorsuch spoke up, asking for a date by which they might be done,&rdquo; Hemingway writes. &ldquo;[The dissenters] would not give a date.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The dissenting justices eventually agreed to complete their <em>Dobbs <\/em>dissent by June 1 in return for an extension to June 15 of the deadline for their majority opinions in other cases,&rdquo; Hemingway adds.<\/p>\n<p>Even then, the delays didn&rsquo;t end.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When the dissent was finally submitted,&rdquo; it included a footnote referencing the court&rsquo;s upcoming &mdash; but not yet released &mdash; decision in <em>New York State Rifle &amp; Pistol Association v. Bruen<\/em>. Notably, citing <em>Bruen<\/em> was unnecessary to the dissent&rsquo;s analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/group-of-nyc-teachers-file-emergency-request-with-u-s-supreme-court-to-block-vaccine-mandate\/\" title=\"Group of NYC teachers file emergency request with U.S. ... to block vaccine mandate\">substantive due process<\/a> and the history of abortion regulation, and the minority justices could have made their point about the majority&rsquo;s use of &ldquo;history and tradition&rdquo; without tying the <em>Dobbs<\/em> opinion to <em>Bruen.<\/em> <\/p>\n<p>The inclusion of the citation effectively prevented <em>Dobbs<\/em> from being issued until <em>Bruen<\/em> came out &mdash; despite the active threats facing the conservative justices and the court, including an attempted assassination on Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The <em>Dobbs<\/em> decision was held until June 24, the day <em>after<\/em> <em>Bruen<\/em> was released, presumably because of the footnote.<\/p>\n<p>Hemingway further reports that Breyer was most open to complying with Alito&rsquo;s request to expedite the dissent but that Kagan &ldquo;remonstrated with Breyer not to accommodate the majority, screaming so loudly, observers noted, that the &lsquo;wall was shaking.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>And as The Federalist&rsquo;s Matt Kittle <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/18\/explosive-report-as-dobbs-majority-faced-death-threats-liberal-justices-slow-walked-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointed out<\/a>, &ldquo;While pro-abortion zealots were calling for heads to roll, the court&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roe-v-wade-in-serious-danger-as-supreme-court-hears-challenge-to-mississippi-abortion-ban\/\" title=\"Roe v. Wade In Serious Danger As ... Hears Challenge to Mississippi Abortion Ban\">liberal minority<\/a> did nothing to, as the left likes to say with empty virtue, &lsquo;turn down the temperature.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abortion\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abortion<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/assassination-attempts\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">assassination attempts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/bruen\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Bruen<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dobbs-decision\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Dobbs Decision<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dobbs-v-jackson-womens-health-organization\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Dobbs v. Jackson Women&rsquo;s Health Organization<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elena-kagan\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elena Kagan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mollie-hemingway\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Mollie Hemingway<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/neil-gorsuch\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/samuel-alito\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stephen-breyer\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Stephen Breyer<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dobbs leak tied to security risk; Bruen link<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2594089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Elena-Kagan-1.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74420,5553,78375,78376,70735],"class_list":["post-2594088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-abortion-rights-2","tag-dobbs","tag-footnote","tag-legal-strategy-2","tag-supreme-court-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Elena-Kagan-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594088","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\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2594088"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2594092,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594088\/revisions\/2594092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2594089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2594088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2594088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2594088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}