Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appears to be stepping into a gap created by the Biden administrationās Justice Department to help ensure the safety of Supreme Court justices and their families.
Protesters have gone to the homes of conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh in Virginia and Maryland following the leak of a draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womenās Health Organization.
Alito, who wrote the draft, Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas have reportedly signed on to the opinion, which would overturn the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Roe struck down all state laws banning Abortion, making it a national right.
Some protesters outside Alitoās home could be heard yelling, āF*** you, Alito,ā and āAbort the court.ā
WARNING: The following video contains language that some viewers will find offensive.
Youngkin told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Wednesday, āThis leak was done in order to influence and, oh, by the way, to intimidate our justices.
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āAnd thatās exactly what these parades and picket lines and demonstrators are trying to do is influence and intimate our justices,ā he added.
Youngkin said he and GOP Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday calling on him to enforce federal law and shut down the protests at justicesā homes.
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Their letter reads, āWhile protesting a final opinion from the Supreme Court is commonplace when done on the steps of the Court or in the public square, the circumstances of the current picketing at the Justicesā private homes in residential neighborhoods are markedly different.ā
The two cited a federal law that makes it illegal to picket or parade at judgesā homes with the intent to influence them in the discharge of their duties.
Youngkin pointed out to Cavuto that Alitoās draft opinion is not a final ruling.
āItās a draft ruling, and clearly these demonstrations are being pulled together to try to influence the final outcome, and that is prohibited based on federal statute,ā he said.
āThis is wrong. We have justices who have small children. They have neighbors and families,ā Youngkin added.
Youngkin said he has asked local police to set up a perimeter around each of the justicesā homes in Virginia. State police stand ready to assist as needed.
Youngkin and Hogan told Garland in their letter, āIt is in your hands to ensure that applicable federal law is enforced to preserve the integrity of our American judicial system and the safety of our citizens.ā
They concluded by exhorting the attorney general to enforce the law.
āIt is critical that our Department acts to preserve the safety and standards of the highest court in the land,ā the governors said. āThere is simply too much at stake.ā
At a news briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to concede that protesting outside of justicesā homes is wrong.
āYes, we are a country that promotes democracy, and we certainly allow for peaceful protest in a range of places in the country,ā she said.
On Tuesday, Psaki went further and said that āwe certainly continue to encourageā Protests at justicesā homes.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.