DOJ steps up inquiry into Supreme Court leak
The gist
Federal prosecutors issued grand jury subpoenas in the criminal probe of the 2022 Dobbs draft leak.
No statute squarely covers leaking a draft, and some deadlines may expire in 2027.
How it unfolded
- May 2022Politico published Alito's draft opinion in Dobbs two months before its formal release.
- 2022Chief Justice Roberts ordered an internal investigation, calling the leak an "egregious breach of trust."
- Jan 2023The court's top security official reported the leaker could not be identified under a "preponderance" standard, after interviewing 97 personnel.
Key terms
- grand jury subpoenas
- The legal authority to issue a writ compelling a witness to testify or produce evidence under penalty of punishment.
- Dobbs draft
- The leaked draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
- preponderance
- A legal standard of proof requiring the evidence to show that a fact is more likely true than not.
Source: Wikipedia