Abortion decision draft leaker's identity remains a mystery as Supreme Court ends its term

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Protesters gather outside Supreme Court one day after reversal of Roe v. Wade

Protesters gather outside Supreme Court one day after reversal of Roe v. Wade.

The Supreme Court ended its term Thursday until October, and the identity of the individual who leaked the high court’s Roe v. Wade draft opinion still remains a mystery.

Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday announced that the court has "acted upon all cases submitted to the Court for decision this Term," and will be in recess from Thursday until the first Monday in October.

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"On behalf of all the Justices, I would like to thank the Supreme Court employees for their outstanding work and dedication to their important responsibilities this Term," Roberts said in a statement. "I thank the members of the Court’s bar as well for their professionalism and cooperation." 

When the high court returns from its recess in October, newly sworn-in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson will take retired Justice Stephen Breyer's seat on the bench. 

The conclusion of the term comes less than a week after the Supreme Court delivered its decision to overturn the 1973 landmark case, Roe v. Wade, bringing the issue of abortion back to the states for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is seen prior to President Joe Biden giving his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 1, 2022 in Washington.  (Julia Nikhinson-Pool/Getty Images)

A majority draft opinion, reflecting that the high court would, in fact, overturn Roe v. Wade, was leaked in May and first reported by Politico.

The Supreme Court, at the time, acknowledged that a "copy of a draft opinion in a pending case" was made public but stressed that it did "not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case." 

Roberts, at the time, said that the court would "not be affected in any way" by the leak, but called it a "singular and egregious breach" of "trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here."

Protesters hold a green sign protesting Roe vs. Wade being overturned in New York City. (Peter Gerber/Fox News Digital)

Roberts then directed the Marshal of the Court to "launch an investigation into the source of the leak." 

At this point, there has been no update or disclosure from the Supreme Court on the identity of the individual who leaked the draft opinion.

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Following the leak, conservative justices on the bench began receiving threats and experienced protests outside their homes.

Pro-life activists react to the landmark Supreme Court decision overruling Roe vs. Wade. (Fox News Digital)

Justice Brett Kavanaugh was even faced with a death threat. Nicholas Roske, 26, was arrested and charged after he allegedly intended to carry out a murder-suicide plot against Kavanaugh at his Maryland home.

Congress ultimately passed a bill that would provide security protection to Supreme Court justices and their families, and President Joe Biden signed that measure into law earlier this month.

A suspect attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on June 8, 2022. (Reuters)

The president, though, has slammed the Supreme Court’s ruling, and urged Congress to codify protections covered by Roe v. Wade into federal law.

Biden has called on Congress to act, stressing that "no executive action" he takes can change the law.

Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)

"Let me be very clear and unambiguous: the only way we can secure a woman’s right to choose – the balance that existed – is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal law," Biden said Friday.

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The president said voters "need to make their voices heard" in November’s midterm elections, saying they "must elect more senators, representatives who will codify a woman’s right to choose in the federal law once again." 

"Elect more state leaders to protect this right at the local level," he said. "We need to restore the protections of Roe as law of the land. We need to elect officials who will do that." 

Biden said that this fall, "Roe is on the ballot." 

The Supreme Court will come back for the October term just weeks before Americans head to the polls to cast their ballots in the midterm elections.