Samuel Alito wrote the Supreme Court opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, and he's not much interested in hearing what foreign critics have to say about it. In a speech on religious liberty in Rome hosted by Notre Dame Law School, Alito mocked Prince Harry and outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in particular, reports NBC News. "I had the honor this term of writing, I think, the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders—who felt perfectly fine commenting on American law," Alito said. (See the full speech, with the pertinent remarks starting around 25:30.) Alito also mentioned French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but Johnson and the prince got the applause lines.
- Johnson: "One of these was Boris Johnson, but he paid the price," said Alito to laughter, a reference to Johnson's decision to resign. Johnson had called the Roe ruling "a big step backwards," per the Guardian.
- Harry: “But what really wounded me—what really wounded me—was when the Duke of Sussex addressed the United Nations and seemed to compare the decision, whose name may not be spoken, with the Russian attack on Ukraine,” Alito said, drawing laughter again. In his UN speech, Harry had said the world was "witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom," referencing the "horrific war in Ukraine to the rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States" per the BBC.
Meanwhile, fellow court justice Elena Kagan gave a speech of her own in Montana on the same day (July 21) in which she issued a warning about the court. "I'm not talking about any particular decision or even any particular series of decisions, but if over time the court loses all connection with the public and with public sentiment, that's a dangerous thing for a democracy," she said. (More Samuel A. Alito stories.)
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