Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer recently sat down with NBC's Meet the Press and was asked about the final months of his time on the bench.
During the interview Breyer, who held a liberal seat, was pressed about a potential compromise on the issue of abortion ahead of the Court's landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. In a 6-3 decision, the ruling returned abortion to the states in June 2022.
Breyer was also asked about a compromise and timing with when the draft opinion was leaked in unprecedented fashion to the media a month early, setting off a firestorm of controversy and dangerous protests outside the homes of conservative Justices. In fact, a man with an assassination plan and kidnapping tools was arrested outside the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
NEW: Former Justice Stephen Breyer reflects on how the Dobbs decision played out.@kwelkernbc: “Did you think a compromise was possible” around the abortion decision?
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 22, 2024
Breyer: “I always think it’s possible, usually up until the last minute.” pic.twitter.com/gMSS3Cccif
Given it's been nearly two years and we still don't know who leaked the Dobbs decision, Breyer's answers raised questions about who the culprit could be.
So he was the leaker.
— Publius (@Publius215) March 22, 2024
He’s doing everything he can to humble brag that he was the leaker without actually saying it. Even the most activist judges fancy themselves as adhering only to the law, but this one is making the rounds bragging about his dismissal of the constitution in his court decisions
— Malcolm Reynolds (@CaptReynolds) March 23, 2024
A leaker might say.
— Sue (@SusanK1717) March 22, 2024
While he announced his retirement in late 2021, Breyer officially left the Supreme Court in June 2022 -- right after the Dobbs decision.
