Kaelan Deese of the Washington Examiner reports on a proposal to step up penalties for those who leak U.S. Supreme Court information.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) unveiled new legislation Thursday that would hold future Supreme Court leakers accountable with a $10,000 fine and 10 years in prison for releasing information about pending decisions in response to last month’s unprecedented leaked draft opinion that signaled the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In an exclusive interview, Cassidy told the Washington Examiner that if the legislation, titled the Stop Supreme Court Leakers Act of 2022, becomes law, it would not be able to imprison or fine anyone responsible for leaking the draft opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, though it could be used to confiscate any possible profits received by the person or people who leaked the draft.
“There is a portion in there which seizes profit stemming from the crime. So the person who wants to do a book deal where they’re going to profit from what they’ve done, that would be affected,” Cassidy said, also noting that any media contributions or paid speaking engagements would fall into the same category.
“Whoever leaked this draft opinion and any future leakers must face the consequences of the damage they cause,” Cassidy added.
Cassidy cited the attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, as one reason for the Senate to act. The suspect, 26-year-old Nicholas Roske, admitted he was inspired by the leaked draft opinion that signaled the high court was poised to undo nearly 50 years of abortion access precedent established under Roe,according to a criminal affidavit.
“The attempted assassination of a sitting United States Supreme Court justice was a direct result of the dangerous and unprecedented leak. While the mainstream media may ignore this horrific story targeting a conservative justice, the American people want the leaker to be held accountable,” Cassidy said.
