The Dobbs Leak Didn’t Wreck the Supreme Court—the Justices’ Scandals Did – By Pam Levy (Mother Jones) / May 2, 2023
A year ago, conservatives complained of a betrayal of justice. Since then, they’ve been ignoring plenty.
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One year ago, shortly after a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was published, Justice Clarence Thomas bemoaned that the leak had eroded public trust in the body. “I wonder how long we’re going to have these institutions at the rate we’re undermining them,” Thomas told attendees at a gathering hosted by three conservative think tanks.
Looking back, it was an ironic moment. Many events following the leak have undoubtedly eroded the court’s legitimacy, including the decision itself, which overturned 50 years of precedent and took away a fundamental right. (Indeed, polls showed approval of the court plummeting just after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was formally issued.) When Justice Elena Kagan warned such conservative decisions were undermining public confidence, Chief Justice John Roberts fired back, saying that “simply because people disagree with an opinion is not a basis for questioning the legitimacy of the court.”
But insisting that the court’s integrity is above reproach does not make it so. And in the year since the leak, there has been a series of troubling revelations about the court, including new information about Republican-appointed justices’ financial, personal, and professional links to wealthy individuals and powerful institutions that sustain the right-wing legal movement. If conservatives on the high court are worried about its long-term legitimacy, they might want to reconsider those entanglements. Here’s a review.
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