Former Anti-Abortion Activist Claims Supreme Court Leaked Another Case Authored By Justice Samuel Alito In 2014
Nov. 19 2022, Published 12:08 p.m. ET
In May, the Supreme Court opinion overruling Roe v. Wade was leaked to Politico, but now it sounds like there were previous leaks beforehand.
Rev. Rob Schneck, a former anti-abortion activist, claims the Supreme Court leaked the outcome of the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. case weeks in advance of the decision becoming public, according to a letter he sent to the high court in June, which was obtained by the New York Times.
"Considering there may be a severe penalty to be paid by whoever is responsible for the initial leak of the recent draft opinion, thought this previous incident might bear some consideration by you and others involved in the process," Schenck wrote to Chief Justice Robert in a letter.
Schneck, who was part of a nonprofit evangelical firm in Washington, D.C., claimed he learned the information from donor Gayle Wright, as she and her husband dined with Justice Samuel Alito and his wife in June of 2014.
“Rob, if you want some interesting news please call. No emails,” the note, which was addressed to Schneck, allegedly read.
"She suggested that in their table conversation, she might be able to learn the status of the case, something she knew had an interest in knowing. I received a follow-up message from her notifying me she had indeed obtained the information during that visit," Schneck told Justice Roberts.
The conservatives came out on top following the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision — similar to the 5-4 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the court ruled that it was a violating of religious freedom for family-owned business to pay for insurance that covers contraception.
After the dinner, one of the Wrights called Schneck and told him Alito had written the majority opinion, and the court would side with Hobby Lobby. Less than one month later, the decision was made public.
However, Alito denies the allegations, though didn't deny meeting the Wrights in early June 2014.
“My wife and I became acquainted with the Wrights some years ago because of their strong support for the Supreme Court Historical Society, and since then, we have had a casual and purely social relationship,” Alito said in the statement. “I never detected any effort on the part of the Wrights to obtain confidential information or to influence anything that I did in either an official or private capacity, and I would have strongly objected if they had done so. I have no knowledge of any project that they allegedly undertook for ‘Faith and Action,’ ‘Faith and Liberty,’ or any similar group, and I would be shocked and offended if those allegations are true.”
Wright denied the allegation to the New York Times, and Hobby Lobby did not comment on the matter.