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

    May 19, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Allows Trump to Lift Deportation Protections for Venezuelans

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday said the Trump administration can proceed, for now, with its plan to toss... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday said the Trump administration can proceed, for now, with its plan to toss the Biden-era deportation protections of more than 300,000 Venezuelan immigrants. Nearly all of the justices approved the brief order in the ongoing case of Noem v.... Read More

    May 15, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Justices Appear Divided Over Whether to Curb Nationwide Injunctions

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared to be divided along ideological lines Thursday as it considered whether to remove the... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared to be divided along ideological lines Thursday as it considered whether to remove the ability of lower court judges to issue nationwide injunctions. During a highly unusual oral argument this late in the term, the conservative justices seemed to believe... Read More

    May 15, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Supreme Court Says Context of Police Shooting Determines Whether It’s Justified

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears to have made it easier for police officers to be sued for excessive use... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appears to have made it easier for police officers to be sued for excessive use of force with a ruling Thursday that requires courts to consider the "totality of circumstances." The ruling resulted from the 2016 fatal shooting of a Houston,... Read More

    Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican Who Became a Liberal Darling, Has Died

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who became a... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter, the ascetic bachelor and New Hampshire Republican who became a darling of liberals during his nearly 20 years on the bench, has died. He was 85. Souter died Thursday at his home in New Hampshire, the court said... Read More

    May 6, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Supreme Court Allows Transgender Ban in Military to Take Effect

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will allow a Trump administration ban on transgender individuals serving in... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it will allow a Trump administration ban on transgender individuals serving in the military to take effect while legal proceedings on the matter continue. As is their custom when dealing with emergency applications, the justices gave no explanation... Read More

    May 6, 2025
    by Tom Ramstack
    Justice Dept. Urges Supreme Court to Overturn Hawaii Gun Restrictions

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and 25 state attorneys general are asking the Supreme Court to take a Hawaii case... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and 25 state attorneys general are asking the Supreme Court to take a Hawaii case that could put further restrictions on the right to legally carry a concealed gun. Hawaii passed a law in 2023 saying legal gun owners could not... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top