Buffalo, NY (WBEN) A draft opinion from the Supreme Court leaning toward overturning Roe Vs. Wade was leaked Monday, an unprecedented leak according to Canisius College's Bob Klump,.
Klump says leaks from the Supreme Court have happened before. "When the Obamacare decision was going to come down a decade ago, there were leaks suggesting how the justices were going to vote," says Klump. But this leak is unprecedented. "I can't recall anything of this magnitude, where what appears to be an entire draft of what purports to be the majority opinion has been has been leaked," says Klump. He thinks this will cause a considerable amount of turmoil within the court and stir the pot politically.
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Klump says this will tarnish the Supreme Court's image it is above the normal politics. "What it's going to do is to foster the idea, which those on the left have sought, I think, to convey that the Supreme Court is a political institution, just like Congress, just like the presidency," explains Klump. He says it could lead to efforts to packing the court.
Who could have leaked it? Klump says that's premature to say. "I can't imagine a reason why any law clerk to one of the justices from the right, would leak this or have a motivation to do so. So the suspicion obviously falls on one of the law clerks for the justices on the left. And again, we don't know the facts yet," notes Klump. He says any political motivation would be to produce a storm of controversy, and an attempt to get one or more of the members who voted with what appears to be the majority to strike down Roe versus Wade to change their minds. He adds that is unlikely to happen.
Klump predicts this leak could lead to dissention among the justices of the high court. "They oppose each other on many critical issues. But unlike a leak like this is not going to wouldn't destroy the relationship among the justices. But I'm afraid that a leak an event of this magnitude may have the effect of shaking, the trust that justices have with each other," fears Klump.
A formal decision is expected by the end of June.