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Kamala Harris says she expects Supreme Court to roll back more rights: ‘I definitely believe this is not over’

VP warns gay marriage, contraception are court’s next targets

John Bowden
Tuesday 28 June 2022 00:00 BST
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Kamala Harris warns Supreme Court will go further after overturning Roe v Wade
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Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday that she expects the Supreme Court’s new conservative majority to continue pressing forward and overturn other long-held judicial precedents following the Court’s ruling tossing out Roe vs Wade on Friday.

Speaking with CNN’s Dana Bash, the vice president pointed to the remarks of Justice Clarence Thomas, who in his concurring opinion on Friday indicated that he beleived the Court should reexamine other precedents set by the Judicial Branch establishing the right to gay marriage, contraceptive use, and other actions that until last week seemed like settled law in America.

"I definitely believe this is not over,” said Ms Harris. “I think he just said the quiet part out loud. And I think that is why we all must really understand the significance of what just happened."

She continued, condemning the Court’s most recent move: "The idea that after a woman has endured such violence to her body that she would not have the freedom and authority to decide whether she wanted to continue with a pregnancy that is a result of an act of violence is absolutely unthinkable."

Her remarks follow a clear warning from Mr Thomas both in his ruling on Friday as well as on Monday, when Mr Thomas wrote in a solo dissent that New York Times vs Sullivan and the precedent establishing America’s libel standard should be revisited too.

The Court, meanwhile, faces its own crisis of legitimacy and lawmakers and activists alike agree that it has lost its standing with millions of Americans. Mr Thomas himself also faces calls for his resignation over his refusal to recuse himself from ruling on casesrelated to Jan 6 given his wife’s involvement.

Polling indicates that a majority of Americans agree with the vice president and believe the Court will go further, while clear majorities also opposed its ruling on Friday.

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