WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The Supreme Court is on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a draft decision obtained by Politico.
The draft was released by Politico Monday evening and Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion Tuesday morning. The nation’s highest court has been undergoing a massive transformation in recent years.
When Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is sworn in as the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court in June, nearly half of the bench will have been replaced since 2017, and not only has the court’s balance of power shifted to conservatives, its ideological lines have changed.
While the news is still shocking that the Supreme Court could strike down this landmark 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade, it’s not surprising for those activists on both sides of this abortion issue for two main reasons. First, the selection and confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett confirmed and solidified the six to three conservative majority on the court, but also the oral arguments on this case were heard back in December.
Now the draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito revealed that they’ve voted to uphold a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, this is not the final decision, which could be made this summer.
A few things led to this conservative majority on the court. Former President Donald Trump selected Justice Neil Gorsuch, then selected Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Justice Brown Jackson isn’t a part of the court yet, so she won’t be a part of the court’s final decision. She’ll join when Justice Stephen Breyer retires after this summer recess after this 2021-2022 term.
Meanwhile, it’s still unknown how Chief Justice John Roberts will vote, but even if he’s not part of this conservative majority, there is still a conservative majority voting in this draft opinion, according to the reporting by Politico to strike down Roe v. Wade upholding this Mississippi law.
This law could also trigger laws in states across the country, as many as 24 states would ban abortion. So, there would be a ban on abortion in at least 20 states across the country and it could even open the door to a nationwide ban on abortion.
