Supreme Court cites security gaps before Dobbs leak

The Supreme Court released a report Thursday saying the COVID-19 pandemic and gaps in the court’s security policies contributed to last year’s leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson draft opinion document. Dobbs v. Jackson is the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and found the Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion. The investigation focused on 82 employees who had access to the draft opinion document but said it was unable to determine who leaked the opinion to Politico. 

Will the court investigate further? Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, who was a federal judge before joining President George W. Bush’s Cabinet, said there is not much else the court can do. Everyone who had access to the opinion was investigated and signed sworn affidavits stating they did not leak the document or know who did. The report said the leak was likely not due to a hack or electronic intrusion, but the investigation did not rule out a copy of the opinion being left in a public place. The court is already updating its security policies, Chertoff said. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher, Myrna Brown, and Andrew T. Walker’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the 2023 March for Life.