New Jersey’s two Republican members of Congress have issued strong condemnations of the Monday night leak of Justice Alito’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
“The leak of Justice Alito’s February draft opinion on Dobbs is an egregious abuse of process and trust,” said Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-04), one of the U.S. House’s most pro-life members, in a statement. “That said, the U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to take a powerful step towards empowering elected representatives to protect the weakest and most vulnerable. We are at the tipping point.”
“A new national debate on abortion has begun and fresh scrutiny must be brought to bear on how the lives of unborn children are destroyed including by dismemberment with sharp knives, pulverization by powerful suction devices, or poisoning by any number of toxic chemicals,” Smith added. “I join millions of Americans who are hopeful that government sanctioned violence against babies and the exploitation of women by abortion is nearing an end—although in a very real way, the struggle to defend children in the womb and offer tangible assistance to their mothers now enters a critically important new phase.”
Chief Justice John Roberts reacted to the leak on Tuesday by verifying the document and promising a full internal investigation.
In a separate statement, Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R, NJ-02) zeroed-in on the leak and the need for accountability.
“The Supreme Court was created to be an independent, autonomous body to uphold the founding principles of our great nation,” Van Drew tweeted. “This leak is inexcusable and undermines the sovereignty of our nation’s highest court. Whoever leaked this draft opinion must be held accountable.”
Regardless of what the High Court does, abortion law won’t change in New Jersey anytime soon since the legislature and Governor Murphy recently acted to codify Roe v. Wade in state law.
