Justice Clarence
Thomas, a George HW Bush-nominated United States Supreme Court judge, said Saturday
that the leak of the draft opinion on Roe v. Wade had turned the court into a “fragile
institution”, and the leak may have permanently damaged the reputation of the
court. He observed that the leak had turned the court into a place “where you
look over your shoulder”.

“I do think that
what happened at the court is tremendously bad,” the justice, who is said to be
conservatively inclined, declared during a discussion at the conference for
Black conservatives.

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He added: “I
wonder how long we’re going to have these institutions at the rate we’re
undermining them and then I wonder why they’re gone or destabilised what we
will have as a country and I don’t think the prospects are good if we continue
to lose them.”

Justice Thomas’
comments were with regard to the draft opinion leak on Roe v. Wade, a landmark
judgement of the US Supreme Court that guaranteed federal protection for women’s
right to exercise control over their bodies, including abortion. The US Supreme
Court’s draft opinion that leaked showed that the court’s majority opinion was
poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.

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Justice Thomas
further said a leak of the sort was unimaginable while the opinion was being
drafted. “If someone said that one line of one opinion would be leaked by
anyone…you would say: ‘That’s impossible. No one would ever do that,’” he said.

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The draft opinion on
Roe v. Wade was drafted by Justice Samuel Alito. The opinion stated: “We hold
that Roe and Casey must be overturned,” referring to two landmark
judgements on abortion.

“It is time to
heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected
representatives,” it said.