In recent statements, it was discovered that Sen. Tim Scott has been finding the silence from the vast majority of Democrats to be quite deafening as the SCOTUS and its more conservative justices are being heavily threatened in the run-up to making the decision that may cause the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The Republican representative from South Carolina issued his thoughts on the current threats via a recent interview in the wake of a report that states that government officials are looking into the credibility of the recent threats of murder against the SCOTUS justices and their families, of burning down or storming the court, and of planned attacks targeting the various houses of worship around the area. These threats “are likely to persist and may increase leading up to and following the issuing of the Court’s official ruling,” reported a memo from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) put out on the 13th of May.
“It is disgusting, despicable, and undeniable that the Department of Justice needs to stand up and take care, protect our justices and their families,” claimed Scott during the interview. “This is a real threat that should be taken seriously.”
The senator put heavy emphasis on the fact that it is “our responsibility to stand in the gap” in order to protect both the American judicial system and the justices themselves, stating, “Count me in.”
“I would hope that all Americans would come together to defend the right embedded in our Constitution to free speech,” he went on. “I would hope that we would send a clear message to folks who want to intimidate our justices: Not here, not now, not ever.”
Various demonstrations and nationwide protests have sprouted up in the wake of the leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion, an “unflinching repudiation” of Roe v. Wade, which is the landmark decision of 1973 that set abortion as a federal right. The leaked document, which is in no way final, makes the claim that the case was egregiously incorrect.
Back on the 3rd of May, Chief Justice John Roberts put out a statement that confirmed that the leaked document had been a real document, but highlighted that is did not accurately represent the final decision of the court.
“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce — permanent employees and law clerks alike — intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law,” stated the chief justice.
“This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,” he went on, highlighting that he has “directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”
In regards to Scott’s allegations, Illinois Democrat Sen. Richard Durbin has been one of the few Democrats in his party to forcefully issue a condemnation of the protests, labeling them as “reprehensible.”
Scott stated that Americans have the right to “say what you want to say in a peaceful, constructive manner,” but they do not possess the right to “threaten lives.”
“You don’t have the right to threaten murder,” he exclaimed, before making reference to Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett and her family. “You don’t have the right to make a mother of six or seven have to fear for the lives of her children.”
“That should not be a part of the job qualifications or the job duties,” he went on.