The New Yorker, Jill Lepore: “There is no mention of the procedure in a four-thousand-word document crafted by fifty-five men in 1787. This seems to be a surprise to Samuel Alito. Qithin a matter of months, women in about half of the United States may be breaking the law if they decide to end a… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Courts
Meet the Reddit ‘Aunties’ covertly helping people get abortions
The Washington Post: “In the hours since a leaked draft opinion signaled the Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark law legalizing abortion nationwide, thousands of people have flocked to a Reddit community called the Auntie Network, a pseudo-underground gathering space aimed to facilitate abortions in an age of diminishing access.… Continue Reading
How US state abortion laws compare globally
Quartz: “Despite efforts to limit access to abortion, Roe v. Wade has preserved American women’s right to terminate a pregnancy, a basic protection not available to many women around the world. If the US Supreme overturns the decision, as suggested by a leaked draft opinion, abortion would become illegal in many US states, putting them on… Continue Reading
The Roe v. Wade Opinion Is Not the First Supreme Court Leak
Wired: “…People have claimed that this week’s leak of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is “unprecedented,” but that’s not the case. Take the dreadful Dred Scott decision that in the mid-1800s upheld slavery, one of the very first leaks, if not the first. Three months ahead of the final opinion, newspapers began reporting the… Continue Reading
Here is a great resource for what you can do in the fight for abortion rights in all 50 states
Lit Hub: “A Supreme Court draft opinion was leaked last night in which Justice Samuel Alito lays out the court’s pending decision to overturn Roe v. Wade; should this ruling come to pass it would represent one of the largest roll-backs of personal freedom in the history of this country. If you care about an… Continue Reading
Matthew Hale – 17th century English jurist approvingly cited by Alito
Via Moira Donegan – @MoiraDonegan [Columnist covering gender and politics @guardianUS] – “Matthew Hale, the 17th century English jurist approvingly cited by Alito in the draft Dobbs opinion, is the creator of “Hale instructions,” text that was read to juries in rape trials for centuries cautioning them not to believe women. The practice was ended… Continue Reading
Alito’s Plan to Repeal the 20th Century
The Atlantic: “…Alito claims to be sweeping away one of the great unjust Supreme Court precedents, such as Dred Scott v. Sanford, which held that Black people had no rights white men were bound to respect, or Plessy v. Ferguson, which upheld racial segregation. But in truth, Alito is employing the logic of Plessy, allowing… Continue Reading
Precedent and the Rule of Law
Lewis, Sebastian, Precedent and the Rule of Law (27 10, 2021). 41 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 873 (2021), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4077240 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4077240 “Courts may reason using precedents in various ways, but not all of them satisfy the rule of law. This article provides two ways that are compatible with this ideal, and… Continue Reading
The Resurgence of the Abortion Underground
The Experiment / Podcast Produced by The Atlantic and WNYC Studios/ A transcript of this episode is available. “There’s a common story about abortion in this country, that people have only two options to intentionally end a pregnancy: the clinic or the coat hanger. They can choose the safe route that’s protected by Roe v. Wade—a… Continue Reading
New Polling on SCOTUS and Roe
Politico: “In the wake of the news about the draft opinion overturning Roe, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll reveals that a clear majority of voters want the court to support abortion rights. Highlights from the poll, conducted Tuesday entirely after the news broke: Fifty-seven percent of voters want SCOTUS to support abortion rights, 28% hope… Continue Reading
ACS Reaction to Draft SCOTUS Opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
American Constitution Society, May 3, 2022, Washington, D.C. – “Today, Roe remains the law of the land and until a final decision is handed down by the Supreme Court, those seeking abortion care should not be deterred from accessing the healthcare they need. If the draft opinion published last night by Politico is ultimately issued… Continue Reading
Draft opinion – Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights
Politico: “The Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito circulated inside the court and obtained by POLITICO. The draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights… Continue Reading
