Abortion-Rights Protesters Arrested After Disrupting Supreme Court Hearing

November 3, 2022 by Tom Ramstack
Abortion-Rights Protesters Arrested After Disrupting Supreme Court Hearing
(Photo by Dan McCue)

WASHINGTON — Three female protesters were arrested Wednesday at the Supreme Court after interrupting a hearing to denounce the recent Dobbs decision that eliminated a constitutional right to abortion.

The women stood up one after the other during the first minute of an unrelated tax case hearing and shouted slogans.

“Our right to choose will not be taken away,” one of the protesters said. “Women vote for our right to choose.” 

Minutes later, a second protester said, “We will restore our freedom to choose.”

After each interruption, the attorney arguing his case continued his presentation without acknowledging the protest. The justices also ignored them.

The protesters were quickly taken away without a struggle by court police. They were charged with demonstrating to obstruct the “administration of justice” and with a federal crime that forbids “loud, threatening or abusive language in the Supreme Court Building.”

Police transported them to the Metropolitan Police Department’s central jail. They were identified as Emily Archer Paterson, Rolande Dianne Baker and Nicole Elizabeth Enfield.

They were protesting the Supreme Court’s June opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a landmark ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Roe held that a woman’s right to abortion was protected under privacy provisions of the Constitution.

The Dobbs ruling replaced the constitutional protections by saying abortion policy was a matter of discretion for each state.

Although rare, several protests have been staged inside the Supreme Court in recent years.

In 2015, demonstrators interrupted a hearing to protest the earlier Citizens United campaign finance ruling.

Also in 2015, a spectator was removed while interrupting during oral arguments in a challenge to state bans on same-sex marriage.

Tom can be reached at [email protected] and @TomRamstack

A+
a-
  • abortion rights
  • Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization
  • protester arrests
  • Supreme Court
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Supreme Court

    Five Takeaways From the Abortion Pill Case Before US Supreme Court

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone,... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday did not appear ready to limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone, in a case that could have far-reaching implications for millions of American women and for scores of drugs regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. It's... Read More

    March 26, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Skeptical of Ban on Abortion Pill Mifepristone

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access to the abortion pill mifepristone despite objections from anti-abortion activists. The doctors and organizations who sued argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong in granting... Read More

    March 19, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Gives Texas Green Light to Deport Illegal Immigrants

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to begin enforcing a state law that effectively allows officials to deport undocumented immigrants, despite objections from the Biden administration, which argued only the federal government has authority over immigration issues. In an unsigned order, the... Read More

    A Supreme Court Ruling in a Social Media Case Could Set Standards for Free Speech in the Digital Age

    WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — In a busy term that could set standards for free speech in the digital age, the Supreme Court on Monday is taking up a dispute between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social... Read More

    March 4, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Justices Rule Trump Can Stay on Colorado Ballot

    WASHINGTON — In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump may remain on Colorado’s... Read More

    WASHINGTON — In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that former President Donald Trump may remain on Colorado’s primary ballot, rejecting a challenge to his eligibility based on a section of the 14th Amendment that bars those who have “engaged in insurrection” from holding... Read More

    About as Many Abortions Happening in US Monthly as Before Roe Was Overturned, Report Finds

    The number of abortions performed each month is about the same as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and... Read More

    The number of abortions performed each month is about the same as before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion more than a year and a half ago, a new report finds. The latest edition of the #WeCount report conducted for... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top