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Who leaked the SCOTUS draft? Blame game erupts between conservatives and liberals

The leaked draft penned by Justice Samuel Alito rejected the 1973 decision guaranteeing constitutional protection of abortion rights

Many are wondering who leaked the SCOTUS draft rejecting Roe v Wade. While conservatives have blamed liberal staffers for leaking the confidential document to spark nationwide outrage and protests, those on the left have insisted the contents of the leak are more important than the person behind it.

There were major protests outside the Supreme Court premises on Monday, May 2, after the leaked draft rejected the 1973 decision guaranteeing constitutional protection of abortion rights. It centers on the case of Dobbs v Jackson, concerning a challenge to Mississippi's 15-week ban on abortion. Oral arguments were heard back in December, but the final opinion in the case isn’t expected until later this spring or early summer.

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"It’s impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the Court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the Justices and staff. This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin," the Supreme Court blog tweeted.

Who leaked the SCOTUS draft?

Right-wing figures blasted the leak and demanded an immediate criminal investigation to hold the source responsible. "Lib clerks are trying to influence a Supreme Court decision via leaking! Identify and arrest at once!" journalist Jack Posobiec tweeted.

"The leaked SCOTUS draft was likely from a far-left law clerk who is trying to derail the final decision by creating mass outrage, hoping to scare a Justice to change his or her mind," Rep. Paul Gosar chimed in.

"DOJ will turn a blind eye to the clerk who leaked the draft #RoeVWade opinion. If it were a conservative leaker, the FBI would have already interrogated him & he'd be off the court. But the left is willing to burn #SCOTUS to the ground to get its way. It's a complete disgrace," journalist Kyle Becker added.

"If there's not a thorough criminal investigation into who leaked privileged documents from the United States Supreme Court then we live in a clown show state. For Perspective: The FBI sent 15 people to investigate a garage pull," conservative commentator Donald Trump Jr wrote.

"Unprecedented. SCOTUS drafts are on a TIGHT hold with access given to a small group of easily identified people. They don’t leak. Ever. They already know who leaked and it’s looking like a pissed-off leftist," former NYPD officer John Cardillo offered.

The SCOTUS blog offered its own thoughts as to who could be responsible for the leak. "Two final thoughts. 1. Politico reports that the 5 original votes to overturn Roe are “unchanged *as of this week*,” but does not report (and the leaker would know) that they have all said they will join the Alito opinion. At least 1 is apparently uncommitted. Hence the leak? 2. Those interested in who leaked the draft should wonder why Alexander Ward — a national security reporter — shares the byline. The leaker would insist that their identity be incredibly tightly held. Politico would not assign someone who didn’t have to be on the story," the blog posted on Twitter.

On the other hand, left-leaning figures placed the blame on the opposite side of the political aisle, with some insisting the contents of the leak were more important than who was behind it.

"It’s really interesting that people on the right seem so certain that the draft of the SCOTUS opinion was leaked by someone on the left. It’s certainly *possible*but seems just as likely to have been leaked by someone who agrees with Alito," trans activist Parker Molloy tweeted.

"Who leaked the SCOTUS opinion? This is incredibly rare. Only a handful of people have access to it. I bet it’s actually from the chambers of one of the hard-right justices (Alito or Thomas) to lock in one of the swing votes (Kavanaugh, say). So — what if it was Ginni Thomas?" Lawyer Tristan Snell alleged.

"The people who get their knickers in a knot over the fact that SCOTUS had a leak more than the contents of the leak are the same kinds of people Dr. King wrote about saying “wait” when they mean “never” #RoeVWade," one Twitter user wrote.

"If you are angrier about the SCOTUS leak, than you are about the contents of the leak, then you are an absolute disgusting monster," another chimed in.