In a live question and answer event at the Heritage Foundation earlier this week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accused the “leaker” of his draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization with setting events in motion that led to the attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh on June 8 and the arrest of a California man in connection with that attempt.

In addition to the attempted assassination of a Supreme Court justice, over a hundred incidents of domestic terrorism against pregnancy resource centers, churches and other pro-life organizations have taken place across the country since the May 2 story in Politico containing the draft opinion was published. Included on the list were several firebombings of such facilities. Fortunately, no one has been injured to date.

No one has been arrested in connection with any of those attacks, however.

Alito, as part of a wide-ranging interview by Heritage Vice President John Malcolm on a variety of legal and personal subjects, was asked at one point about the leak and its effect on the court.

The justice’s response was jarring.

“It was a grave betrayal of trust by somebody. It was a shock because nothing like that had happened in the past. So, it certainly changed the atmosphere at the court for the remainder of last term.

“The leak also made those of us who were thought to be in the majority in support of overruling Roe and Casey targets for assassination because it gave people a rational reason to think they could prevent that from happening by killing one of us.

“And we know that a man has been charged with attempting to kill Justice Kavanaugh. It’s a pending case, so I won’t say anything more about that.”

The California man arrested in connection with the attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, Nicholas John Roske, reportedly bragged about his intentions beforehand in an online chat forum, according to the FBI.

“im gonna stop roe v wade from being overturned,” Roske told another user on the forum.

“what u tryna do,” the user wrote back.

“remove some people from the Supreme Court,” Roske replied.

When the person he was chatting with told him that his plan wouldn’t accomplish anything, Roske revealed further details.

“yeah but I could get at least one, which would change the votes for decades to come, and I am shooting for 3 all of the major decisions for the past 10 years have been along party lines so if there are more liberal than conservative judges, they will have the power.”

The Dobbs leaker has not been identified, although Chief Justice John Roberts is conducting an investigation into determining his or her identity.

The leak also spurred protests in front of several of the justices’ homes, in violation of federal and state law. No one has been arrested in connection with those protests.

However, the FBI has been busy arresting almost two dozen pro-life sidewalk counselors for peacefully praying and protesting at abortion facilities around the country, including an 87-year-old woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp, and a father of seven children. They are all charged with violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and could receive up to 11 years in prison and fines of $250,000.

Ironically, the FACE Act also protects those pregnancy resource centers that have been firebombed and vandalized since May, for which no arrests have been made.

When it comes to the issue of abortion (or any other), our law enforcement agencies need to evenhandedly apply the law, not pick winners and losers. Doing otherwise undermines the rule of law and the respect and trust that citizens should have in law enforcement.

 

Photo from Getty Images.