The Patriot Post® · Roe v. Wade Temper Tantrums

They’re still at it. Pro-abortion advocates continue to showcase their fury over the Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade — in dangerous ways.

First, let’s face it. Well-orchestrated furious public protest is the near-exclusive purview of the Left. It’s their thing, their constitutional right, and they exercise it at the drop of a hat. The January 6th riot by right-wing buffoons was an aberration; but the thousand or more mob actions that have torn our country apart in recent years — torching cities, tearing down monuments, looting private businesses, attacks on police stations and courthouses, autonomous zones, etc. — are all routine gifts from the Left.

Leftists’ latest eruption channels Trump-hating Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who in 2018 famously advised her progressive followers “if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” Her words were an open invitation not to protest but to harass.

And harass they did, this time going after Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was dining at Morton’s Steakhouse in Washington, DC, just last week. The loud heckling crowd, evidently assembled on the fly (a group called ShutdownDC offers cash rewards for public sightings of any of the five conservative justices) — created enough of a disturbance to force Kavanaugh to exit by the back door, escorted by his security detail.

Later, when Morton’s apologized to its customers for the rude intrusion, the restaurant was bombarded with hate messages and a flood of phony reservations. It seems that angry leftists not only are intolerant of conservative Supreme Court justices, but also of restaurants who serve them and other diners who patronize the same establishments.

The objective of their raucous harassment is unclear. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision is in the books, a done deal. Maybe they’re just acting out, like raging two-year-olds, just making sure everyone knows how angry they are; or perhaps they’re sending a not-very-subtle message to Kavanaugh and others who will be ruling on similar controversial issues ahead: “We’re watching you; we always know where you are, and we can make your life very difficult.” If the latter, that’s jurist intimidation, a crime.

The broader problem of course is that loud verbal harassment by an angry mob doesn’t always stop there — it can easily slide out of control and into violence. Keep in mind that just a month ago Justice Kavanaugh was targeted by an armed assassin, apprehended near the Kavanaugh home. Inflammatory rhetoric, by political leadership, media, or angry protesters, can have consequences.

And to the very basic matter of whether it is appropriate or not for government officials or members of the public to rail against Supreme Court justices, here’s a quick civics lesson: The federal judiciary (the U.S. Supreme Court and the lower-tier federal courts that feed it) is one of three coequal branches of American government. The judicial branch’s role is to be an independent check on the other two, the executive and legislative branches. The judiciary is the referee.

Like the blindfolded Lady Justice statues adorning many U.S. courthouses, the judiciary is intended to be rigorously objective and immune to influence by the other two branches and by public opinion.

In short, in its ruling overturning Roe, the U.S. Supreme Court was doing what it is supposed to do, in the way it is supposed to do it.

To their credit, some progressive groups have stepped forward and expressed disagreement with pro-abortion activists’ recent harassment tactics. On the other hand, our president and his spokespersons have shown no reservations at all about castigating the actions of the Supreme Court, and evidently they have no concern about the intrusive, intimidating, and arguably illegal behavior of the protesters.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared on this week’s Fox News Sunday and saw nothing wrong with it at all, pointing out that being the target of “peaceful protest” is just part of the job for public figures. That’s easy for him to say — he can be sure that his dinner will never be disturbed by a crowd of conservative hecklers unhappy with his performance. They just don’t do that.

And perhaps he did not consider the world of difference between politicians and jurists. Supreme Court justices accept a lifetime appointment that carries with it a staggering workload and immense responsibility. They perform a vital role in our government, and they deserve our respect.

Democrat leadership, do your jobs and call off the dogs — please.