US Marshals Service helping secure Supreme Court following abortion draft opinion leak

The U.S. Marshals Service will help the Supreme Court with security issues after last week’s leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

After Politico published the draft ruling last Monday evening, the court and its justices have been beset with protests, including at some of their homes.

“The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has a strong partnership with the Supreme Court Police, and upon the request of the Marshal of the Supreme Court, the USMS does provide assistance as needed,” the service said in a statement first shared by CBS News.

The statement added that the “USMS is currently assisting the Marshal of the Supreme Court in response to increased security concerns stemming from the unauthorized release of the draft opinion; however, the USMS does not comment on specific security measures.”

The draft opinion, if it becomes official, would roll back the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S.

Chief Justice John Roberts verified the authenticity of the draft Tuesday, calling the leak “absolutely appalling” later in the week.

Protesters have targeted the homes of Roberts as well as Justices Samuel Alito, who authored the draft opinion, and Brett Kavanaugh.

–Updated on May 10 at 9:43 a.m.