Both White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed aside concerns from protesters who made their way to the homes of the Supreme Court Justices charged in a leaked draft advisory opinion to overthrow Roe v. Wade had voted.
“I know there is currently outrage at protests that have so far been peaceful – and we certainly continue to encourage this – outside the homes of judges,” the spokesman said.
“No one should, of course, resort to violence, your threats or intimidation or vandalism,” Psaki added.
“What’s also important here is what I would call the hypocrisy of silence on the other side, when there’s been intimidation, protests, outside the homes of members of the school board, the Michigan Secretary of State, countless women dealing with threats grappled with and navigated through them when looking for reproductive reproductive health care, which incidentally has been legal for 50 years, and there has been no outcry about it.
“There was an outcry about peaceful protests outside the judges’ homes, which in turn were peaceful.”
A reporter reminded the spokesman that the protests were in response to a pending court case and could violate federal law.
“I know there is currently outrage at protests that have so far been peaceful – and we certainly continue to encourage this – outside the homes of judges,” the spokesman said
According to a federal statute, 18 USC 1507, any person who pickets or parades with “the intent to disrupt, obstruct, or impede the administration of justice, or with the intent to influence any judge, jury, witness, or court official.” ‘near any U.S. courthouse or ‘near any building or residence occupied or occupied by any such judge, jury, witness or court official’ shall be punishable by a fine or ‘imprisonment not exceeding one year, or both ‘ proven.
“However, this is a pending legal proceeding, federal law applies here – this is a pending legal proceeding,” the reporter said.
“I think intimidation and protests and intimidation outside the homes of school board members, the Michigan Secretary of State, intimidation and threats against people seeking legal reproductive health care and against our Capitol and our democracy also warrant some outrage, and we have didn’t really see that,” Psaki shot back.
On Monday, Senator Susan Collins of R-Maine called police after protesters left a message in chalk on the sidewalk in front of her home.
“Susie please Mainers wants WHPA –> vote yes clean up your mess,” read the message, according to a Bangor police report.
yes vote clean up your mess,” read the message, according to a Bangor police report” class=”blkBorder img-share” style=”max-width:100%” />
On Monday, Senator Susan Collins of R-Maine called police after protesters left a message in chalk on the sidewalk in front of her home. “Susie please Mainers wants WHPA –> vote yes clean up your mess,” read the message, according to a Bangor police report
WHPA is referring to the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill the Senate will vote on Wednesday that would codify abortion rights, but Collins said it goes too far.
Schumer was asked in his own daily briefing if he was “comfortable” with protests outside the homes of Supreme Court justices.
“If the protests are peaceful. Yes. My house, in front of my house there are protests three to four times a week,” the Democratic leader said.
But abortion activists no longer come just for conservative Supreme Court justices; On Tuesday night, abortion group Ruth Sent Us and other groups led protesters to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s mansion in Pacific Heights to protest California Democrats’ “careless and cowardly” leadership of Republicans’ “scorched earth” strategy.
Activists will urge Pelosi to “investigate courts” and “save abortion.”
“Don’t you like me in your house? “Get out of my womb” reads a woman’s sign as she protests outside Judge Samuel Alito’s home
Candles are left in the street while a police officer stands guard outside Alito’s home in the Fort Hunt neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia.
“History will remember you as an oppressor and a murderer,” read another woman’s sign
“When the nauseating Kavanaugh was nominated in 2018, Dems knew he was a Bush campaigner who had perjured himself in previous confirmation hearings. He was also a known alcoholic and gambler. Then his serial sexual assaults came to light. He was still on SCOTUS,” the group wrote on Twitter. “Through the Herculean efforts of grassroots volunteers, @SpeakerPelosi was reinstated in 2019. She held ZERO hearings on Kavanaugh’s crimes and perjury. Imagine if she did. Would that creep be in the yard and dare to overthrow Roe?’
“Ruth Sent Us” doxxed the addresses of the six conservative Supreme Court Justices in the Washington, DC area and this week organized “walk-bys” at their residences to protest the upcoming ruling Roe v. Wade will fall.
The group announced a “walk-by Wednesday” for May 11, 2022, and said marches would be held “at the homes of the six extremist judges, three in Virginia and three in Maryland.”
Protesters rallied outside the Virginia home of Justice Samuel Alito on Monday after dozens of people also gathered outside the homes of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in the Washington and Maryland suburbs over the weekend.
Both White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed aside concerns from protesters who made their way to the homes of the Supreme Court Justices charged in a leaked draft advisory opinion to overthrow Roe v. Wade had voted
“There was an outcry about peaceful protests outside the judges’ homes, which in turn were peaceful,” Psaki said
Roberts has said he got a complete overthrow from Roe v. Wade did not support it, but said he would support a law in Mississippi making abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy illegal.
Protesters marched up and down Alito’s street in Alexandria, chanting “cancel the court” while holding lit candles and shouting slogans such as “Alito is a coward” and “our bodies our choice”.
Pictures of hangers were chalked on the street outside the judges’ houses, an apparent attempt to support the pro-choice argument that the overthrow of Roe v. Wade will not end abortion, it will end safe abortions.
“Keep abortion safe and legal,” chanted the abortion advocates as they stood in the streets with candles and signs.
Others shouted, ‘Your life is a lie!’ and ‘We will not return!’
Police stood guard outside the judges’ homes and, after what appeared to be a clash with protesters, ordered the activists out of the house. At least one officer threatened to arrest and charge the protesters with violating Maryland law.
The Supreme Court’s draft opinion, written by Judge Samuel Alito and published by POLITICO, was leaked Monday. The document revealed that the court voted to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling, Rove v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.
On Monday, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to increase security for judges and their families.
Last week law enforcement erected wire fences outside the Supreme Court and judges canceled their public outings after the leaked opinion sent shockwaves across the country.
Protesters also appeared outside churches over the weekend and violence erupted at the office of pro-life groups.
Antifa vandals hurled at least one Molotov cocktail into the Madison offices of Wisconsin Family Action, a state anti-abortion group. The group also scrawled a chilling message on the wall that read: “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you,” as well as the Antifa symbol — a capital “A” in a circle — and the number 1312, which is a code that stands for ACAB, meaning “All cops are bastards.”
The damage was discovered on Mother’s Day Sunday morning when a passer-by called the police and saw smoke coming from the pro-life group’s headquarters.
Julaine Appling, president of the lobbying and advocacy organization, told the Wisconsin State Journal that a window was broken, books were burned and graffiti covered the walls, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known.