A conservative justice on the US Supreme Court made fun of international leaders who denounced last month’s decision that nullified abortion rights in the US.
Justice Samuel Alito, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by George W. Bush in 2006, disregarded concerns from a number of notable people, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, also joking that the former mayor of London, who is leaving office in September, had “paid the price” for his comments.
“I had the honor this term of writing I think the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders who felt perfectly fine commenting on American law,” Mr. Alito said.
Justice Alito also stated that, “What really wounded me was when the Duke of Sussex addressed the United Nations and seemed to compare the decision whose name may not be spoken with the Russian attack on Ukraine”.
In his address at the United Nations, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, took the liberty to comment on what is considered an internal matter in the US, placing it in the context of all the negative things that have been happening in 2022, and appeared to be referring to the abortion ruling when he said, “From the horrific war in Ukraine to the rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States, we are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom…”
Mr. Alito’s previously unannounced speech was delivered to the Religious Liberty Conference on July 21 and became public after the University of Notre Dame, who hosted the event, posted footage online on Thursday night.
Prince Harry of England, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were also mentioned by the conservative justice. Mr. Alito’s public statement, is rather uncommon for a Supreme Court justice; they are expected to be super partes and stay out of political discussions.
His statement coincided with Justice Elena Kagan’s warning that it would be “dangerous for a democracy” if the court’s conservative majority lost the support of the public. In the aftermath of numerous contentious court judgments, opinion polls indicate that trust in the court is indeed at an all-time low, as only 25% of those surveyed stated they had faith in the body.
