The Washington Post published a deep dive report on Chief Justice John Roberts’ standing on the Supreme Court, suggesting that his clout might be waning among his fellow justices.
Roberts’ authority and power might be on the decline following Politico’s bombshell report on a draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and an immediate controversy surrounding how, and from whom, that draft decision was leaked to the press.
But oddly, the article itself appears to include another leak, which is clearly reported to have come from “conservatives close to the court” who, of course, spoke on the condition of anonymity. The sources are said to have told reporters about private conversations between Roberts and his fellow jurists as far back as early December, conversations that were almost certainly intended to stay private.
Writing for the Washington Post, Robert Barnes, Carol D. Leonig, and Ann E. Marimow report:
The leaked draft opinion is dated in February and is almost surely obsolete now, as justices have had time to offer dissents and revisions. But as of last week, the majority of five justices to strike Roe remains intact, according to three conservatives close to the court who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
A person close to the most conservative members of the court said Roberts told his fellow jurists in a private conference in early December that he planned to uphold the state law and write an opinion that left Roe and Casey in place for now. But the other conservatives were more interested in an opinion that overturned the precedents, the person said. A spokeswoman for the court declined to comment, and messages extended to justices were unreturned.
So a story about how a leak has ostensibly helped undermine Chief Justice Roberts’ authority on the highest court features a leak about how Roberts privately told fellow justices what he plans to do regarding leaving Roe v. Wade in place for now.
This leaked story comes amidst bipartisan hand-wringing and finger-pointing from progressives and conservatives absolutely convinced that it was their political foes that are responsible for the leak. The truth is that, as of now, the identity of the leaker is not known. And probably won’t be for a long time, if ever.
Authored by Colby Hall via Mediaite
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