HBO host and comedian Bill Maher railed against protesters who have gathered in front of the six conservative Supreme Court justices’ homes in recent days.
Pro-abortion activists and the left-wing group, Ruth Sent Us, have arranged protests in front of the homes of all six conservative justices included in the leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade. Ruth Sent Us also published what the organization claims are the addresses of Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts. When asked about the protests outside the homes of sitting justices, White House press secretary Jen Psaki responded that she did not “have an official U.S. government position on where people protest.”
Maher criticized Psaki for this reply, stating “But we do. It’s wrong. It’s intimidation. It’s against the law.” Maher continued, “It’s not terribly violent, obviously, but would you want these protesters outside your house?”
Former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman of California referenced a 1950 federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1507, which prohibits private citizens from attempting to influence a court decision by organizing or protesting at the private residences of judges and justices. Harman advocated instead for a major rally in Washington D.C. if the final Supreme Court decision overturns Roe v. Wade. (RELATED: POLL: Vast Majority Of Americans Says SCOTUS Home Protests Are ‘Unacceptable’)
A White House reporter recently pressed Psaki about the law at a May 9 briefing, where she said the White House does not encourage any citizen to break the law.
Maher also said the Democrats have shifted too radically on abortion, evolving from the Clinton-era “safe, legal and rare” slogan to being openly “pro-abortion.”
“The phrase in that era, the Clinton era, his phrase ‘safe, legal and rare.’ And I think that’s when Democrats were aligned with most Americans. I think that’s what most Americans want—safe, legal and rare,” Maher said. “That’s not where the Democrats are now; they don’t say that anymore. In fact, their own caucus on this in the House this week said ‘we don’t want to call it choice anymore, because [of] racism. They’re even talking about using ‘pro-abortion.’ No one should be pro-abortion.”
The Democrats attempted to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act that intended to eliminate restrictions on partial-birth abortion, sex-selective abortion, and conscience protections for healthcare workers. The legislation failed after all 50 Republicans, along with Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, voted in opposition to the bill.