The leak, on the Politico website, was immediately the subject of intense textual and legal analysis by American journalists and experts trying to confirm its authenticity. It would be the worst security breach in court history. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. But while attention is obviously the right approach to such an important story, there were all indications – from the formatting and footnotes of the document to the characteristic tone of conservative author Justice Samuel Alito – that it is legitimate. There was no comment from the Supreme Court itself. The court could still rule otherwise. But if the end of Roe v Wade, the 1973 decision that secured the constitutional right to abortion, would be news of genealogical importance to American women and a huge blow to reproductive rights advocates around the world. With protesters immediately descending on the Supreme Court building to express their anger at the news, today’s newsletter explains what is at stake and what happens next. This right after the titles.
Five great stories
In depth: the end of the US right to abortion?
Protesters outside the US Supreme Court in Washington early Tuesday. Photo: Alex Brandon / AP What happened? A draft Supreme Court opinion, apparently by Conservative Judge Samuel Alito, leaked to Politico in a news release late Monday night. It seems to indicate that the court is preparing to rule in Mississippi in a case over whether the state can ban almost all abortions during and after 15 weeks of gestation – a direct challenge to the Roe v Wade abortion guarantee . The 98-page document, which includes 118 footnotes and a 31-page appendix on the state’s historic abortion laws, has been published in its entirety. “Roe made a terrible mistake from the beginning,” he says. “His reasoning was extremely weak and the decision had disastrous consequences.” He says Roe v Wade “must be rejected” and continues: “It is time to look at the constitution and return the issue of abortions to the elected representatives of the people.” What is Roe v Wade? Roe v Wade is the court ruling that protects the right to abortion in the US to the point where a fetus can survive outside the womb, which is widely regarded as 24 weeks pregnant. Full pregnancy is 39 weeks gestation. The 1973 ruling is one of the most controversial in American history and has faced many legal challenges over the years – but it has survived so far. For more details on challenging the law currently under consideration, take a look at Jessica Glenza’s commentator from December. What does the leak tell us about the court decision? Although the opinion is supposed to be a draft, it would have been written after a vote on the issue by the court – and suggests that the majority of judges agreed with Alito. Politico reported that four other Republican-appointed judges supported the decision, a total of at least five votes in the nine-member court. Following such a vote, the judge shall take the majority and shall then draw up a draft, which shall then be circulated and amended. It is possible that there will be a change of opinion or even a change of votes before the final decision of the court, which is expected in the next two months. How important is the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision? Washington’s Guardian correspondent David Smith described the leak as “shocking and unprecedented” and said it would be “the worst security breach” in the court’s history. Theories abound about the possible source of the leak, from a liberal justice official hoping to put public pressure on the court before announcing his decision to a conservative who wants to soften the impact of the ruling when it comes – in other words Nobody knows . A tweet from Scotusblog, a respected news and analysis site, stated that “it is impossible to overestimate the earthquake that will cause within the Court, in terms of destroying trust between judges and staff. “This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin.” How did reproductive rights activists react to the news? With mania. A BuzzFeed reporter posted a video of some 200 out-of-court protesters chanting slogans such as “Abortion is health care” and “My body is my choice”. Another video showed someone urging attendees: “If you like screaming, then just scream.” What about politicians? Democrats said overthrowing Roe v Wade would be a disaster. They were led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Sumer, who issued a joint statement saying such a move would be “a heinous, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history.” They also immediately sought to make Roe v Wade an issue for the crucial by-elections: Christie Roberts, executive director of the Democratic Senate campaign, said: the power to confirm or reject a supreme court “. Republicans took turns praising the apparent vote and condemning the leak itself. And now what? It is worth reiterating that the votes are still likely to change and that means that the obvious draft opinion remains exactly that – a draft. But if the Supreme Court rules on the lines proposed in the leaked document, the consequences will be swift and extremely significant. Because the US Congress never secured the right to terminate a pregnancy, the overthrow of Roe v Wade would mean that individual states could immediately make their own decisions about moving forward. Twenty-six of them are expected to move quickly to do so, with many having “activation” laws for books that will automatically take effect under these conditions. This means that women in these states would immediately face severe restrictions on their ability to have an abortion, and the United States would become one of only four countries to limit this right to almost 30 years.
What else did we read?
If you walk into the last dump of Netflix’s Ozark episodes, you’ll enjoy Stuart Jeffries’s farewell to “some of the most rewarding TV series around.” And if you did not spend half the weekend filling the lot, rest assured: it sticks to the landing. As the question of how to end the war in Ukraine becomes more pressing, Chatham House’s Orysia Lutseyvych argues that “a long-running simmering conflict that locks Ukraine into a gray zone of instability” is no better than defeat. Simon Hattenstone spoke to Graham Nash – as in Crosby, Stills and… – about sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and why he would kill Vladimir Putin, giving him half a chance. Lots of amazing quotes to list, so click here. Tens of thousands of people were deported from the United States due to convictions that were later overturned. Sam Levin’s piece about Sandra Castaneda, who spent 19 years in prison for a murder she did not commit and is still facing deportation, justifies the term “Kafkaesque”. Why is it so hard to give up sugar? This long reading by Raj Telhan, a physician, absorbs personal history and examines the roots of our obsession.
Sport
Snooker Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Judd Trump 18-13 to win the World Snooker Championship. O’Sullivan overcame a strong return from Trump to reach the same level as Steven Hendry’s record of seven world titles. Football Russia’s bid to host the European Men’s Championship has been rejected and its team will be replaced by Portugal in the women’s tournament this summer, UEFA has announced. Track | Sir Mo Farah said his career as an elite athlete was “definitely” over after a shock defeat by a club runner in a 10,000-meter race on Monday. The winning amateur, Ellis Cross, had been rejected for an elite position in the race.
The front pages
The Guardian front page May 3, 2022 Photo: Guardian The Guardian leads with “Patel facing massive legal action by Ukrainians stuck in visa bans”. The Telegraph also focuses on the war in Ukraine with “Johnson: Ukraine is ready for its best.” The Mail has “Where did our doctors go?”, While the Times with “Inflation is rising to make a hole of 7,000 pounds in pensions”. The newspaper i has “The Tories were hit by internal disputes on the eve of the elections” and the Daily Express precedes with the “right of Boris to …
