White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the administration supports protesters gathering outside of Supreme Court justices’ homes to protest the expected reversal of Roe v. Wade.
WHAT SHE SAID
“So, I know that there’s an outrage right now, I guess, about protests that have been peaceful to date, and we certainly continue to encourage that outside of judges homes,” Psaki said at a press conference. “And that’s the president’s position.”
- The comments by Psaki were the White House’s strongest endorsement yet of recent protests outside the homes of conservative Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also backed the demonstrations Tuesday.
- Liberals have been up in arms since Alito’s draft majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion leaked last week.
Psaki repeated her opposition to violent political activism, but accused Republican critics of the protests of “deafening” silence in response to past protests against school mask mandates, abortion and the 2020 election.
- More “pro-choice” demonstrations, including at the homes of all six conservative justices, have been scheduled for later this week.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
According to federal U.S. code 1507, any individual who “pickets or parades” with the “intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer” near a U.S. court or “near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer” will be fined, or “imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”
