Senator Cornyn

Cornyn: Democrats Use SCOTUS Leak for Political Gain, Distraction from Midterm Issues

May 4, 2022

Many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are fanning the flames, and they know that this is not a final opinion, but they see a political opportunity to fan the flames of hysteria.

I think it's because they'd like to change the subject. The American people… they're concerned about inflation. They're concerned about crime. They're concerned about border. They're concerned about the war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

I have every confidence the Marshal of the Court will find the person who leaked this opinion to the press, and they will be held accountable.

WASHINGTON – Today on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the implications of the recently leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.

“Many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are fanning the flames, and they know that this is not a final opinion, but they see a political opportunity to fan the flames of hysteria and mislead the American people about exactly what this all means and what the consequences are.”

“I think it’s because they’d like to change the subject. The American people’s concerns, if you ask them as public opinion pollsters have, what they’re concerned about, they said they’re concerned about inflation. They’re concerned about crime. They’re concerned about border. They’re concerned about the war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

“What do our Democratic colleagues, the Speaker and the Majority Leader, do? They attack the Justices. They attack the Court. They don’t attack the leaker, the person who committed this egregious breach of confidentiality.”

“In 2019, the Democratic Leader went to the Supreme Court steps and threatened two Supreme Court Justices by name if they did not rule in a certain way.”

“They want to undermine the entire institution of the independent judiciary.”

“Five of our colleagues on the Democratic side, including the current Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed an amicus brief, a friend of the court brief, in a case involving gun rights. These Senators made a not-so-subtle threat that unless the Court ruled in a particular way, the entire institution would be, in their words, and I quote, ‘restructured.’”

“Well, we know that those weren’t just idle words, given some of the threats to pack the Court.”

“The parties whose cases are being decided by the Court should never have to worry about outside influencers or whether politics plays into the decision-making process.”
“But that’s exactly what our Democratic colleagues are trying to do with the United States Supreme Court in this instance.”

“The Court needs to get to the bottom of how this draft opinion got into the hands of the press in an unprecedented, egregious breach of confidence.”

“I have every confidence the Marshal of the Court will find the person who leaked this opinion to the press, and they will be held accountable.”