The decision — with Chief Justice John Roberts concurring with the court’s four-member liberal minority — is the court’s first major abortion rights decision since two Trump appointees took the bench.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed abortion protections on Monday, striking down a Louisiana abortion restriction that, if allowed to be implemented, could have made the state the first to be without a legal abortion provider since Roe v. Wade, CBS News reporter Kate Smith reports. The decision — with Chief Justice John Roberts concurring with the court’s four-member liberal minority — is the court’s first major abortion rights decision since two Trump appointees took the bench, delivering a major win to abortion rights supporters who’ve been concerned about the court’s new ideological makeup and how that would impact the future of abortion access. Thursday’s 138-page decision, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, found Louisiana’s restriction — which requires doctors who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital — violated precedent set in the 2016 Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt ruling, a case that dealt with a nearly identical regulation in Texas.
The Trump campaign referred to today’s decision as « disappointing to say the least, » according to CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga. In a statement, deputy communications director Ali Pardo wrote in part, « Five unelected Supreme Court Justices decided to insert their political agenda in place of democratically determined policies. This case underscores the importance of re-electing President Trump, who has a record of appointing conservative judges, rather than Joe Biden, who will appoint radical, activist judges who will legislate from the courts. »
In a statement, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden said the decision « reaffirmed that states cannot put in place laws that unduly burden a women’s right to make her own health care decisions with her doctor. » CBS News campaign reporter Adam Brewster reports that Biden said he plans to codify Roe v. Wade and that his Justice Department would work to stop state laws that « blatantly violate a woman’s protected, constitutional right to choose. »
FROM THE CANDIDATES
JOE BIDEN
Joe Biden’s campaign has released diversity statistics for his campaign, according to CBS News correspondent Nikole Killion and CBS News campaign reporter Adam Brewster. The Biden campaign says 35% of full time staffers are people of color and 36% of full time senior staff are people of color. The majority of both the overall full time staff (53%) and the full time senior staff (58%) are women. Senior staff includes people running departments, senior advisers, deputy campaign managers and senior consultants who spend most of their time on the campaign. The campaign did not release detailed statistics on its employees by race or ethnicity.
The campaign is working with Inclusv, which works to ensure people of color are found at every level of politics. On Saturday, Biden was pressed about the diversity of his campaign during a town hall hosted by Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. « My administration is going to look like America. Not just my staff, the administration, from the vice president straight down through cabinet members to major players within the White House and the court, » Biden said. « It’s going to be a reflection of who we are as a nation. » According to a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, a majority of full time staff members (52%) and senior staff members (56%) are women. CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga reports people of color represent just 25% of senior staff members across the campaign. According to the spokesperson, the percentage of persons of color serving as full time staff members is « not available. »
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeatedly denied that President Trump was briefed on reported intelligence that Russian military intelligence offered cash payments to Taliban-linked militants to kill U. S. troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan, CBS News digital reporter Melissa Quinn reports.
« There was not a consensus among the intelligence community, » McEnany told reporters at Monday’s White House press briefing. « In fact, there were dissenting opinions within the intelligence community, and it would not be elevated to the president until it was verified. » McEnany was pressed on why Mr. Trump did not receive a briefing on the intelligence about the Russian operation, reported over the weekend by the New York Times and the Washington Post, and repeatedly told reporters the intelligence in question has not been verified.
« This was not briefed up to the president because it was not, in fact, verified, » she said. National security council spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement Sunday, « The veracity of the underlying allegations continues to be evaluated. » In an explosive report published Friday, the New York Times said U. S. intelligence officials concluded a Russian military spy unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for the killing of coalition forces in Afghanistan. According to the Times report, Mr. Trump was briefed on the finding, and White House officials developed options for addressing the matter. The Washington Post subsequently reported the Russian operation Saturday, citing U. S. officials who said Trump administration leaders learned of the cash payments in recent months from U. S. intelligence agencies.
On the campaign side, the president’s re-election team is suing the Pennsylvania Department of State and the boards of elections in all 67 counties for allegedly « hazardous, hurried, and illegal implementation of unmonitored mail-in voting » during the state’s June 2nd primary, reports CBS News campaign reporter Nicole Sganga. Filed within federal court in Pittsburgh, Monday, the suit condemns Governor Tom Wolf’s order to extend the deadline for absentee voting in a handful of counties during Pennsylvania’s primary election. The case also alleges a handful of Pennsylvania counties broke state law by creating insecure ballot drop boxes for the primary elections, fell short of ensuring ballots were mailed to correct addresses, and enforces a too strict residency requirement for poll watchers. Today’s lawsuit comes as part of a $10 million legal investment by the Trump campaign in « protecting election integrity, » which aims to clamp down on state elections changes made in light of COVID-19.
