Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed that a leaked draft of an opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade was authentic.
The justice said the leaked draft, which was given to and published by Politico, “was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations” and that “it will not succeed.” He said he is opening an investigation into the leak.
Roberts also said the draft majority opinion, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, does not represent the final decision of the court.
“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce – permanent employees and law clerks alike – intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court,” Roberts said. “This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.”
The unprecedented leaked draft, which was published Monday night, rattled the country. The Supreme Court’s final opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which could overturn the landmark ruling that granted access to abortion and reproductive health care at the federal level, is expected to come within the next two months.