GOP Govs Seek Ban on Protests at Justices’ Homes
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, both Republicans, are demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland enforce a federal law that forbids demonstrations intended to sway judges on pending cases,
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, both Republicans, are demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland enforce a federal law that forbids demonstrations intended to sway judges on pending cases, reports the Washington Post. Protesting the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, demonstrators have gathered over the past week at the homes of several conservative justices and insist that they are legally exercising their First Amendment rights. However, although peaceful, the demonstrations appear to have been illegal, according to legal experts, citing a statute from 1950 that prohibits any demonstration “with the intent of influencing any judge.” Separately, a Virginia law prohibits demonstrations of any kind at or near private residences. While the federal law would apply if protesters gathered at a courthouse instead of in suburbia, the two governors nevertheless reference the intrusive nature of a home-based demonstration.
