It's been 85 days since the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization sent shockwaves through the Supreme Court and the legal world.
While Chief Justice John Roberts vowed to get to the bottom of who engaged in what he called a "betrayal," we still know nothing about the identity of who gave the draft, which overturned Roe v. Wade and sent abortion law back to the states, to the news media.
"To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way," Roberts said on May 3, 2022. "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. 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."
Now, there's new reporting the leak of the draft opinion squashed efforts by Roberts to convince his colleagues to preserve parts of Roe.
New CNN reporting from @JoanBiskupic: Chief Justice John Roberts privately lobbied his fellow conservative justices to preserve Roe v. Wade – but the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion may have doomed his efforts. pic.twitter.com/g0fKkIT14f
— New Day (@NewDay) July 26, 2022
Given the identity of the leaker still hasn't been identified, the report is raising suspicions.
Ah, so John Roberts and/or his camp leaked because someone else leaked?
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 26, 2022
What a coward. https://t.co/atsQORu1an
For the sake of the institution of the Supreme Court, the leaker must be found and held accountable. https://t.co/KZU2UXhO11
— JCN (@judicialnetwork) July 25, 2022