Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield was criticized after he claimed without evidence that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is responsible for leaking a Supreme Court draft opinion that would gut abortion rights.
However, Jackson, who last month was confirmed to the Supreme Court, could not have been the source of the leak because she has not yet been sworn in and won't be until this summer.
Stinchfield's claim came after a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
Stinchfield also issued a staunch defense of the draft opinion, saying that no one is telling women "what they can do with their bodies" but instead "what they can't do to a baby, a precious life."
You can hear what Stinchfield said in the video below.
The Supreme Court has confirmed the draft opinion is "authentic" but says "it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case."
Chief Justice John Roberts said the leak signals a "betrayal of the confidences of the Court" but insisted while it was "intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed."
The Supreme Court has since launched an investigation to uncover the source of the leak but according to Stinchfield, the culprit is none other than Judge Jackson.
Jackson has not yet been sworn in but Stinchfield did not acknowledge that fact, instead accusing her of being a "radical left wing activist."
He said:
“I find it suspect that the first leak coming out of the Supreme Court in history comes shortly after Judge Jackson is confirmed."
“I want to know if her law clerks, who I am sure have already been hired, possibly even working at the high court already before her swearing in, have access to these draft decisions.”
“She would be my first suspect when it comes to the leak because Ketanji Brown Jackson is a radical left-wing activist, more radical than any other justice in the history of the Supreme Court."
"I believe she is capable of undermining the court this way.”
Many have criticized Stinchfield for his remarks and pointed out the obvious.
Others accused him of racism, pointing to Newsmax's history of espousing White nationalist talking points, and noted that he is purposely spreading disinformation.
The Senate last month officially confirmed Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court to replace the outgoing Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.
Jackson will be the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court. Her historic moment was met with applause after she was confirmed in a 53-47 vote.
However, the historic moment did not please everyone; several Republican Senators walked out of the Senate chamber even as their colleagues applauded.
Jackson's confirmation process was politically contentious, characterized by repeated attacks from Republicans who cast her as a liberal extremist with a lenient sentencing record.
During Jackson's confirmation hearings, top Republicans including Senator Josh Hawley (Missouri), accused Jackson of being too lenient on child sex offenders, pointing to her past statements on sex offender registries and civil commitment, in addition to her views on mandatory minimums.
Conservatives who suggested Jackson's rulings were evidence she "supports pedophilia" were quickly fact checked by The New York Times, which noted "they omitted the context of her remarks and sentencing decisions."
Similarly, Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton was excoriated by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison after he said that Jackson might have defended Nazis accused of war crimes if given the opportunity.
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