Abortion rights demonstrators hit with probation for interrupting Supreme Court
Ryan King
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Three protesters who made pro-abortion rights outbursts during a Supreme Court oral argument last November were hit with an unsupervised probation sentence Friday.
Emily Paterson, Nicole Enfield, and Rolande Baker must serve probation until June 30 for flouting federal law that bans disruptions inside the Supreme Court building. The trio individually entered plea deals with the government and admitted guilt.
WOMEN PROTESTING SUPREME COURT ABORTION DECISION DISRUPT JUSTICES AMID ARGUMENTS
“The defendants’ actions severely undermined the respect and reverence our highest court deserves. Were such conduct allowed to go unpunished, the court would quickly cease to be a place where the most important legal disputes in our nation are adjudicated under procedures enacted to ensure fairness and, instead, become a sort of ‘open mic night’ for citizens,” a Justice Department prosecutor argued.
Prosecutors initially requested 12 months of probation, but Judge Amit Mehta argued that would equate the “brief protest with the actions of individuals involved in the riot on January 6th.” Lawyers for the defendants had cited court rulings against rioters who ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when arguing in favor of a lighter sentence.
Mehta, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, reportedly conveyed that he understands their passion and sense of injustice. On Nov. 2, the women decried the court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed national abortion rights.
“Women, vote!” the first woman proclaimed before being escorted out of the room. It is not clear which of the women made the retort.
“Our right to choose will not be taken away. Women, vote for your right to choose,” another woman said.
“We will restore our right to choose. Women of America, vote,” the third declared.
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After being booted from the courtroom, the women were detained by police. The incident was the first significant protest inside the high court since 2019. Roe was overturned in the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling.