Two Fox News contributors on Monday labeled the leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. Wade an “insurrection.”
According to the draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and published Monday by Politico, the Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark case codifying Americans’ right to abortion.
On Fox News, a panel of four men discussed the development that could potentially see millions of women lose access to reproductive health care.
“This is an insurrection against the court,” Ari Fleischer, a former Bush administration aide, told host Sean Hannity.
“I’ve already seen people on the left celebrating this leaker, calling him brave, trying to throw a Hail Mary to stop the ruling from being issued,” Fleischer added.
Hannity then called on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) to weigh in.
“I am so glad that Ari used the term ‘insurrection.’ That’s exactly what it is,” Huckabee said. “Let’s take it one step further. This is an insurrection, not by some guy from some state who got hot under the collar and went to D.C. and got overheated at a rally. This is insurrection by a person who was paid for by the taxpayers.”
Huckabee said he hoped everyone would use that term, because “if what happened Jan. 6 was an insurrection, this absolutely is an insurrection.”
Huckabee was comparing the leak of the document to the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump that resulted in multiple deaths, more than 700 arrests, approximately $1.5 million in damage to the building and the temporary halting of Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
When it comes to that insurrection, Fox News personalities were often reticent to call it one.
It is highly unusual for a draft opinion to be leaked.
“It’s impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the Court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the Justices and staff,” SCOTUSblog, a law blog which tracks Supreme Court cases, said.
And while the official ruling is not expected until June, the leaked opinion sent shockwaves throughout the political and media landscape, and prompted fierce condemnation from Democrats and women’s advocacy groups.