The Supreme Court will be releasing “one or more” opinions on Monday amid tensions over a leaked draft opinion indicating that justices may have decided to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The justices met privately on Thursday for the first time since the leaked draft opinion shook the nation, according to the Associated Press.
Though the justices did not give any indication about what they discussed in the private conference, the publication reported, they did reveal that on Monday, at least one decision will be announced. SCOTUSblog also noted that “one or more” decisions would be released on Monday.
There are 37 unresolved cases that have been argued in the fall, winter, and spring, according to the AP, noting that the justices usually have issued all their decisions by the beginning of the summer.
During a question and answer session Thursday night with George Mason University’s law students at the Antonin Scalia Law School, Justice Samuel Alito avoided addressing the court’s mood.
“The court right now, we had our conference this morning, we’re doing our work,” Alito said, The Washington Post reported. “We’re taking new cases; we’re headed toward the end of the term, which is always a frenetic time as we get our opinions out.”
NEW: Next Monday will be a Supreme Court opinion day. Starting at 10 a.m. EDT, the court expects to issue one or more decisions in argued cases from the current term.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) May 12, 2022
POLITICO broke the news May 2 that the Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark decision, reporting that Justice Samuel Alito had written an opinion draft that is an “unflinching repudiation” of Roe v. Wade.
The draft majority opinion, which is not final, says Roe v. Wade was egregiously wrong.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Following the leak of the draft opinion last Monday, conservative activists and legal experts quickly called for the Supreme Court to release its decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
“Obviously no one can actually force the Chief Justice’s hand,” Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino told The Daily Wire last week, “but he may want to release the opinion early to avoid exposing the Court to further pressure and intimidation tactics that risk undermining the Court as an institution as a result of the draft opinion hanging out there for what could be months.”
The unprecedented leak has sent shockwaves throughout Washington, with many commentators noting that a draft decision has never been publicly released in the modern history of the court.
On May 3, Chief Justice John Roberts released a statement confirming that the draft document is real, but emphasizing that it did not represent the Supreme Court’s final decision.
“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,” the chief justice 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,” he added, noting that he has “directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”