Abortion Supporters Protest Outside of Justices’ Homes: ‘I’m Not Going to Be Civil’
Supporters of legalized abortion protested outside the homes of Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts over the weekend, sparking outrage among conservatives and a divide on the Left over whether such protests are effective – and whether they crossed a line.
The protests took place the same week a leaked Supreme Court opinion suggested the justices may overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. There have been more than 60 million abortions since that landmark opinion, according to data from the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute.
Carrying signs and shouting “our bodies, hands off,” the protesters stood in the street and on sidewalks as police stood between them and the homes. Kavanaugh and Roberts each live in Chevy Chase, Md.
The energy is markedly more negative outside Kavanaugh’s house. The anger has become much more palpable than outside any other justices’ house. pic.twitter.com/zY2OY34hcA
— Douglas Blair (@DouglasKBlair) May 8, 2022
“I see you!” one protester shouted outside Kavanaugh’s house.
“The time for civility is over, man,” Lacie Wooten-Holway, a neighbor, told Bloomberg. “Being polite doesn’t get you anywhere.”
She told the Washington Post, “We’re about to get doomsday, so I’m not going to be civil to that man at all.”
But not all critics of the court agreed with the protests.
“I think you vote, and you expand the court,” a man in the neighborhood told The Post. “You don’t go to a guy’s house.”
He added, “This constant escalation, I think, makes it dangerous.”
The White House released a statement Monday suggesting President Biden oppose the protests.
“@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.”
.@POTUS strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) May 9, 2022
Ron Filipkowski, a Democratic attorney and former federal prosecutor, told his 350,000 Twitter followers that such protests could backfire.
“I am against all protests outside people’s homes that are not official govt residences, regardless of the cause or issue, the merits of that cause, the political party or ideology of the protesters, or the person protested. In today’s America, it’s just too dangerous,” Filipkowski tweeted.
Republicans, he suggested, “WANT protesters at Judge’s houses. That is how they turn moderates to their side.”
I am against all protests outside people’s homes that are not official govt residences, regardless of the cause or issue, the merits of that cause, the political party or ideology of the protesters, or the person protested. In today’s America, it’s just too dangerous.
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) May 8, 2022
But many on the Left disagreed with Filipkowski.
“The SCOTUS came into our living rooms in every home in America and told us we did not own our own bodies and that our offspring are considered domestic supply,” one person wrote. “A little discomfort of peaceful protest in front of their homes within the public right of way is warranted.”
“Sorry, but taking the high road isn’t getting us anywhere,” another person tweeted. “Time to fight dirty.”
Related:
Supreme Court Has Votes to Overturn Roe in Draft Opinion: ‘Pray They Stay Strong,’ Pro-Lifers Urge
10 Christian Leaders React to Potential Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Alex Wong/Staff
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