Supreme Court Erects More Fences
By Phil Pasquini
Washington
The Supreme Court overnight was encased in yet another security fence in anticipation of demonstrations regarding the leaked abortion draft opinion that has resulted in several massive demonstrations in the past few days. Crews installed the by now all too familiar steel fence that was last seen surrounding the building in the aftermath of the January 6 th insurrection.
Today several police agencies including the Supreme Court Police set about fine-tuning the barricades by placing more obstructions to protect the court and its occupants from any exterior intrusions. The unfortunate side of all this is that the highest court in the land once again has become a fortress of jurisprudence that accompanied by the leak has transformed the court’s sterling image of deciding each case on its merits into a political entity by evidently having already decided the outcome before the final decision is decided.
The leak, as expected, has polarized and energized those on both sides of the abortion issue with continued confrontations a likely result in the coming days as demonstrations ramp up and with a week of Pro-Choice actions planned for later this month. President Joe Biden on Wednesday reflected on the current situation by saying, “This is about a lot more than abortion… What are the next things that are going to be attacked?”
Points well taken when the supposed neutrality and non-partisanship of the court with its motto of “Equal Justice Under the Law” is carved in deep relief about the massive building’s main entrance.
While the large crowds of demonstrators of the last few days were not present at the building today, a few activists still felt compelled to express their positions in and around the area that is now also saturated by police both inside and outside the barriers.
(Phil Pasquini is a freelance journalist and photographer. His reports and photographs appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.ink. He is the author of Domes, Arches and Minarets: A History of Islamic-Inspired Buildings in America.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Pakistanlink Homepage
