Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer on Monday issued what’s being called a “warning siren” Monday, strongly suggesting landmark civil rights cases, perhaps Roe v. Wade, or Planned Parenthood v. Casey, or maybe Brown v. Board of Education are increasingly likely to be overturned by the Trump-reshaped far-right SCOTUS.
“Today’s decision can only cause one to wonder which cases the Court will overrule next,” Breyer wrote in a dissent of a case handed down Monday, overturning decades of Supreme Court precedent.
Here’s one civil rights attorney’s quick explanation:
These bills are direct assaults on Roe v. Wade. Experts know if some will become law, will get challenged, and ultimately will wind up in the federal courts – which are growing increasingly conservative – and ultimately, at the Supreme Court.
It’s important to put Justice Breyer’s warning in context. As NBC News’s Heidi Przybyla notes, “More than 300 proposals to restrict abortion have been introduced in states between January and March of this year.”
Many legal experts weighed in on Twitter, making clear Justice Breyer’s warning must be taken seriously.
Here’s CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin, saying Breyer’s warning means the Supreme Court case that found women have a right to abortion is “doomed.”
Professor of Law, University of Michigan School of Law:
Former Obama White House Counsel’s Office attorney:
Attorney and writer at Slate:
Former Buzzfeed News Legal Editor:
President, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
Reuters’ Supreme Court reporter:
Image by Victoria Pickering via Flickr and a CC license