Abortion leak exposes Supreme Court in disarray

STORY: The unprecedented leak of a U.S. Supreme Court document not only exposed its intention to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, but also pulled the curtain back on a court whose lofty reputation as the grown-up branch of government could be slipping away.

The breach of confidentiality contributes to a growing sense that all is not well within the court's marble hallways, where political leanings are supposed to be left at the door.

Elizabeth Sepper is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

"I think the leak shows that the court, or at least some members of the court, are very aware that they are part of politics, that this is a political institution, and that they are playing not only in their marble courtrooms, but in the courtroom of public opinion."

The disclosure of the draft - which would overturn a nearly 50-year-old precedent - is the latest in a string of controversies to ensnare the High Court.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has been under fire from Democrats over actions taken by his wife, Ginni Thomas - an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump. After the 2020 election, she encouraged GOP leaders to have the result overturned based on Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud.

Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch drew scrutiny in January when he was the only person inside the courtroom not to wear a face mask during the surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

That prompted headlines suggesting this ruffled liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose diabetes is a risk factor for COVID complications.

The two then tried to clear the air with a joint statement saying that while they sometimes disagreed on the law, they were (quote) "warm colleagues and friends."

And liberals are still furious at actions taken by Republicans to ensure that Trump could appoint three justices during his four years in office - Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - pushing the court to the right.

One law professor told Reuters that it seems like (quote) "the longstanding norms of the institution are under a severe amount of pressure...."

The apparent cracks come as the court's assertive conservative majority looks to upend the law on a range of major issues.

By the end of June, the justices are not only expected to issue the abortion ruling but could also greatly expand gun rights... and they have agreed to take up a case that could end affirmative action at universities.