“Improper attempts to influence judicial decision-making, by any side, by anyone, threaten the judicial decision-making process and impede our ability to communicate with each other,” Gorsuch told the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit’s biennial Conference Bench & Bar in Colorado. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg Law had reporters at the event. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. announced an investigation into the May leak to Politico, and Gorsuch said an internal committee had been appointed. “This committee has been busy and we look forward to their report, hopefully soon.” Roberts announces research on Supreme Court decision link on abortion Gorsuch did not say whether the report would be made public, the Journal reported, and conference organizers barred reporters from interviewing the justice or other justices in attendance. The leak of Justice Samuel A. Alito’s draft opinion shocked the court, which prides itself on keeping internal deliberations secret. It has been condemned as a prejudicial violation by those judges who have discussed it publicly. The draft leaked to Politico was essentially the same as the one that upheld a restrictive Mississippi law and overturned the nearly 50-year-old Roe precedent establishing a constitutional right to abortion. Gorsuch was among the five justices who voted Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to be overturned Roe. Roberts said he would have supported the Mississippi law, but not overturned it Roeall three liberals on the court disagreed. Roberts says the leak will not affect Supreme Court deliberations The decision effectively returned the abortion issue to the states and sparked a tumultuous summer of political change. While some states have strengthened protections for abortion rights, others have effectively abolished the procedure. It encouraged Democrats as they hope to fend off a Republican takeover of Congress in November’s midterm elections. Roberts said in a statement in May that he had ordered Supreme Court Marshal Gail Curley to conduct an investigation into the leak, which he called “absolutely appalling.” But the chief justice has not provided anything since then. There have been reports that clerks and other court personnel have been asked to hand over phone records, but it is unclear how extensive or successful that effort has been.
