It was recently reported by Newsmax that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Wednesday slammed protests at the homes of Supreme Court justices as “absolutely reprehensible” after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer downplayed the demonstrations as long as they are “peaceful.”
“I think when it comes to the home of an elected official, that’s over the line. It’s happened to me. And I think it happened to most of us in an elected positions,” Durbin said during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day.” “If we want to bring women and men into this position, and accept the responsibility and sometimes the controversy, we have to have reasonable lines drawn to respect their families.”
Protests have happened at the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Samuel Alito after Politico in late April published a draft of an opinion in a major abortion case that was argued in the fall. The document indicates the court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
In response to a reporter asking on Tuesday if he is “comfortable with the protests that we saw outside the homes of Supreme Court justices over the weekend,” Schumer said, “If protests are peaceful, yes. My house — there’s protests three, four times a week outside my house. The American way to peacefully protest is OK.”
Durbin said absolutely not.
“Stay away from homes and families of elected officials and members of the court,” he said. “You can express yourself, exercise your First Amendment rights. But to go after them in their homes, to do anything of a threatening nature and certainly anything violent, is absolutely reprehensible.”
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The Hill went on to report that the demonstrations were condemned on Monday by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), while the White House has said President Biden supported peaceful protesting but did not condone violence.
“[Biden] strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism” Psaki said. “Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety,” Psaki noted.
