House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that the U.S. Supreme Court presents a danger to American families and freedom.
Asked by CNN’s Dana Bash about criticism that Democrats did not foresee anti-abortion activists’ work, Mrs. Pelosi lashed out against the high court amid anticipation that a majority of justices are prepared to undo prior decisions legalizing abortion.
“Let’s not take our eye off the ball — the ball is this court which is dangerous to the freedoms of our country,” Mrs. Pelosi told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “Beware in terms of marriage equality, beware in terms of other aspects of it. And so let’s not waste our time on that, the fact is this is a dangerous court to families, to freedom, in our country.”
Mrs. Pelosi insisted that Democrats played the long game on abortion and that they never could have envisioned former President Donald Trump winning and appointing federal judges that rule in favor of pro-life litigants.
“I don’t disrespect people’s views and how they want to live their lives, but I don’t think that it’s up to the Donald Trump appointees on the court or any politicians to make that decision for women,” she said.
The California Democrat’s remarks on Trump-appointed justices come as protesters have gathered outside those justices’ homes in recent days, angry over speculation that the Supreme Court is prepared to undo abortion rights recognized in Roe v. Wade. Thousands of abortion rights protestors also demonstrated on the National Mall on Saturday as tensions continued to run high.
Some Democrats are not enthusiastic about the protests aimed at individual justices outside their homes. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told “Fox News Sunday” that people should avoid dragging the Supreme Court into the political realm and that the protests may backfire.
“I certainly don’t think that they’re effective in persuading judges; in fact, it might further alienate them from a particular cause to be that aggressive,” Mr. Polis said. “I think our judges, the men and women on the Supreme Court, are really the embodiment of our highest and best judges, are very thoughtful about how they look at the information.”
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.