President Joe Biden believes in the constitutional right of Americans to protest but not to use threats or violence while doing so, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2022) President Joe Biden believes in the constitutional right of Americans to protest but not to use threats or violence while doing so, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement on Monday.
Psaki issued the statement after pro-abortion activists gathered in front of the homes of several conservative US Supreme Court justices to protest what they believe is a determination to overturn the court's 1973 ruling in the Roe v. Wade case that allowed abortion throughout the United States without excessive government restrictions. The protests were organized after a first-ever leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court suggested the majority justices are reconsidering the ruling.
"POTUS (President of the United States) strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety," Psaki said via Twitter.
On Thursday, a reporter asked Psaki whether Biden supported pro-abortion activists posting a map with the home addresses of the justices, indicating an unprecedented effort to influence the work of the US Supreme Court.
Psaki said Biden's view is that there is much passion, fear and sadness across the United States about what they saw in the leaked document, and want people's privacy to be respected while allowing for peaceful protest.
US Senators Ted Cruz and Lee Zeldin criticized Psaki for not defending the co-equal branch of government's right to operate independently rather than being influenced by mobs and called for additional security for all nine justices.
Abortion opponents have clarified that the current case being decided by the US Supreme Court does not outlaw abortion, but treats the constitutional issue whether the US states - as opposed to the Federal government - can decide whether they want to vote on having abortion available.
Biden condemned the Supreme Court's action and Psaki echoed his demand that Congress move quickly to codify the women's right to abortion established by the Roe v. Wade ruling.
