For the first time in modern history, a draft decision of the United States Supreme Court has been publicly leaked. The leaked draft was of the Court’s highly anticipated and controversial decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which could have a long-lasting effect on abortion laws throughout the country.
Following the unprecedented leak, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts called for the marshal of the court to launch an immediate investigation into the source of the leak.
Senator Sue Rezin says it is also important to note that it isn’t uncommon for draft decisions and votes to change throughout the Supreme Court’s decision-making process, and the final decision isn’t expected for at least another two months.
However, if this draft ends up being the final decision, it would overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey by returning “the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” In simple terms, this means each state legislature would be responsible for determining abortion laws for their own state.
This decision would have little to no impact on Illinois as the state has some of the most progressive abortion laws in the entire nation. This fact has not stopped some Illinois lawmakers from suggesting the state pass even more abortion laws, including proposals that have historically been publicly unpopular.