HBO comedian Bill Maher took aim at outgoing White House press secretary Jen Psaki Friday for saying last week that the government "did not have a position" on where people could protest after pro-abortion demonstrators showed up at the homes of six conservative justices following the leak of an initial draft majority opinion that shows SCOTUS is poised to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
"I don’t have an official U.S. government position on where people protest," Psaki said during a May 5 press briefing at the White House. "I want it — we want it, of course, to be peaceful. And certainly, the President would want people’s privacy to be respected."
Maher said during his show on HBO that the government does have "a position" on people demonstrating in front of the homes of judges.
"We do," Decider reported that he said during his show. "It’s wrong. It’s intimidation. It’s against the law."
The protests, planned by the pro-abortion organization "Ruth Sent Us," are taking place in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., and in front of the suburban homes of the six conservative justices in the wake of a leaked draft court opinion signaling the end of Roe, the New York Post reported May 5.
A 1950 law added to the United States Code dealing with "picketing or parading" makes it illegal to "influence" any judge or juror.
"Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both," the law states.
During her answer to reporters on May 5, Psaki said that women are worried about losing their rights should Roe be overturned by the high court, and that is fueling the protests.
"I think we shouldn’t lose the point here: The reason people are protesting is because women across the country are worried about their fundamental rights that have been law for 50 years," she said. "Their rights to make choices about their own bodies and their own healthcare are at risk. That’s why people are protesting. They’re unhappy. They’re scared."
According to the leaked draft opinion, while Roe would be overturned federally, each state could make its own laws regarding the issue.
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