Whistleblower alleges landmark Supreme Court case was leaked years prior to Roe v. Wade

U.S. Supreme Court building
(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

An anti-abortion leader was reportedly notified of the outcome of a landmark Supreme Court case in 2014 prior to it being announced publicly — nearly eight years before the leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade this past summer cast the nation's eyes on the possible politicization of the court.

An investigative report published Saturday in The New York Times revealed that Rev. Rob Schenck, who previously led an evangelical group in Washington, D.C., wrote a letter this past June to Chief Justice John Roberts regarding the 2014 case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. In the letter, published in full by the Times, Schenck said he was able to learn the outcome of the case prior to its public release via an acquaintance of Associate Justice Samuel Alito.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.