Chief Justice John Roberts spoke out about the unprecedented leak of a draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Roberts called the leak "absolutely appalling" while speaking to a group of judges and lawyers at the 11th Circuit Judicial Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, according to CNN.
It was his first public appearance since the ruling was published by Politico on Monday (May 2).
Roberts said it would be "foolish" to think that the leak would have any impact on the work of the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice told the attendees that he hoped the leak would not harm "people's perception" of the Supreme Court.
The draft ruling, which was penned by Justice Samuel Alito, eviscerates the landmark 1973 opinion that legalized abortion, writing that it was "egregiously wrong from the start."
"The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," Alito wrote.
The case involves a Mississippi law that bans abortions in the state after 15 weeks. If the ruling remains unchanged, states would be free to outlaw abortion, though several have announced they plan to pass laws protecting a woman's right to have an abortion.
The Supreme Court is currently in recess. The Justices will meet again in a closed-door conference on May 12. The final ruling is expected to be released in July.