WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggests that earlier this year a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide. That's according to a report published Monday night in Politico.
Politico's report says the draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito, was circulated in early February. It’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter.
In the draft, Alito writes that "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start" and that its "reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences," going on to say it "must be overruled."
The news outlet published what was labeled as a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks.
A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment.
The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft, which if verified, marks a shocking revelation of the high court’s secretive deliberation process. However, Politico says it has authenticated the draft.
