Supreme Court abortion ruling updates: WH warns of ‘nightmare scenarios’

The Supreme Court voted to overrule the decisions of Roe and Casey.

ByMeredith Deliso, Mark Osborne, Nadine El-Bawab, Mary Kekatos, Alexandra Svokos, Kate Pastor, Haley Yamada, Stephanie Guerilus , and Melissa Gaffney
Last Updated: June 29, 2022, 4:29 PM EDT

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in a much-anticipated ruling Friday in one of its biggest decisions this term.

The court voted 5-4, largely along party lines, to overturn Roe and 6-3, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which involved Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Abortion rights supporters react to the overturning of Roe v Wade outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, June 24, 2022.
Mary F. Calvert/Reuters

It appeared that the panel's conservative majority of justices was ready to overturn nearly 50 years of established abortion rights after last month's leaked draft decision indicated as much.

Top headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 24, 2022, 10:36 AM EDT

House minority leader applauds abortion decision

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, along with Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, immediately lauded the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

"Every unborn child is precious, extraordinary, and worthy of protection," the trio of GOP leaders wrote in a statement minutes after the decision was announced. "We applaud this historic ruling, which will save countless innocent lives.

"The Supreme Court is right to return the power to protect the unborn to the people’s elected representatives in Congress and the states. In the days and weeks following this decision, we must work to continue to reject extreme policies that seek to allow late-term abortions and taxpayer dollars to fund these elective procedures."

McCarthy added "more work remains" to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Jun 24, 2022, 10:26 AM EDT

Supreme Court overturns Roe, leaves abortion decisions up to states

The Supreme Court struck down 50 years of precedent on Friday, striking down abortion rights at the federal level.

"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. "The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."

For full details on the ruling, click here.