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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has denied that he was involved in the leaking of a 2014 court ruling to a former anti-abortion activist following a New York Times report that a leak occurred.
Multiple news outlets reported that Alito issued a statement denying that he or his wife disclosed the court’s ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, a case on contraception and religious rights, early.
The Times reported that the Rev. Rob Schenck learned about the court’s decision in the case weeks before it was released. He said he learned of the ruling from Gayle Wright, a donor to the evangelical organization that Schenck ran at the time.
Wright and her husband had a meal with Alito and his wife, and a day later, Wright sent Schenck an email telling him to call her if he wanted “some interesting news.” The email was reviewed by The Times.
Schenck said that Wright told him the court would rule in favor of Hobby Lobby, deciding that for-profit companies can deny contraception coverage for employees based on a religious objection.
The court ultimately ruled 5-4 in favor of Hobby Lobby.
