Supreme Court Draft Opinion Signals Overturning of Roe v. Wade
A leaked initial draft majority opinion shows the Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, returning abortion legislation to individual states. Justice Samuel Alito writes that the 1973 ruling was egregiously wrong from the start.
A leaked initial draft majority opinion reveals that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that guarantees federal constitutional protections for abortion rights. Justice Samuel Alito authors the document, which serves as a full repudiation of the original ruling and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that largely maintained the right.
Alito writes in the draft that Roe is egregiously wrong from the start and explicitly states that both Roe and Casey must be overruled. The opinion argues that it is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion legislation to the people’s elected representatives rather than relying on federal judicial mandates.
The document emphasizes that the court’s holding is not final until it is officially published, which is likely to occur within the next two months. Deliberations on controversial cases remain fluid, meaning justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions undergo multiple revisions before public release.