Court Watchers Urge Supreme Court to Quickly Release Opinion in Abortion Case

Protesters and counterprotesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington on May 3, 2022. Emel Akan/The Epoch Times

In the wake of a draft opinion being published, some Supreme Court watchers are urging the nation’s top court to quickly release the final opinion in the case.

“I think that it behooves the court to issue their final opinion as soon as possible so that Americans can know what this ruling is and that we can react to the reality and not to a draft from February,” Mallory Carroll, vice president of communications for Susan B. Anthony List, told The Epoch Times.

Because the draft was leaked, “the court should go ahead and issue the majority opinion as soon as it is final,” Ed Whelan, a senior fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center, wrote on Twitter. “Dissenters can issue their opinions later.”

“The unprecedented leak calls for an unprecedented response: The court should release its majority opinion as soon as possible,” Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, said.

Politico late May 2 published a draft opinion in a case that challenges Roe v. Wade, which saw the Supreme Court establish access to abortion as a constitutional right. The Supreme Court later said the document is authentic but it remains unclear when the actual decision will be released.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito, a George W. Bush appointee, said in the draft, writing for what was described as the majority. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Planned Parenthood v. Casey is a follow-up decision to Roe that helped maintain the right to abortion access.

Both decisions have been cited by courts in pausing or striking down some laws curtailing abortion restrictions.

Other court watchers also said they hope the court releases the actual opinion soon.

“If reports are true and a majority on the Supreme Court have ruled to rectify Roe, it is the correct decision, and I hope they release the majority opinion as soon as it is finalized,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) said in a statement.

Justices heard oral arguments in the case in question, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in December 2021.

The Supreme Court does not have specific timelines for deciding on cases, but the court will issue a ruling in the case by the end of its current term.

The term, which began on Oct. 4, 2021, is expected to continue until late June or early July.

Oral arguments have wrapped up for the term; justices are only sitting now to announce orders and opinions.