Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito canceled his appearance at a judicial conference after a draft decision he wrote overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide was leaked.
According to Reuters, Alito was set to appear at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ judicial conference, a gathering of judges from the New Orleans-based federal appeals court and the district courts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, but he pulled out of the event.
Alito is the justice assigned to hear emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit. The Supreme Court did not say why he canceled his appearance at the conference.
Politico publish the draft majority opinion Monday night authored by Justice Alito, striking down Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey which upheld a right to have an abortion that was established under Roe.
Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted with Alito.
Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts are slated to speak separately on Thursday and Friday at the 11th Circuit’s judicial conference in Atlanta. It is unclear night they will be attending.
