DOJ launches criminal probe into Supreme Court leak that exposed ruling overturning Roe v Wade

The leak that exposed the Supreme Courts draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade is under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice, years after the courts own hunt for the culprit came up empty.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirros Washington office is leading the probe, multiple sources briefed on the matter told Fox News.

The investigation has been underway for at least a year, sources said. Grand jury subpoenas have been issued during the probe, though it is unclear who received them.

DOJ LAUNCHES CRIMINAL PROBE INTO SUPREME COURT LEAK THAT EXPOSED RULING OVERTURNING ROE V WADE

The New York Times first reported the investigation.

Politico published the draft before the 2022 ruling, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to order an internal investigation that failed to identify the leaker.

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The Justice Department and the U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment on the investigation. Fox News also reached out to the Supreme Court, asking whether the court or any justices have worked with outside investigators, including DOJ, or plan to do so.

The criminal probe comes as Justice Samuel Alito says he has an idea who was responsible but lacks sufficient evidence to publicly identify that person.

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"I do have an opinion. But the evidence available at this time is not strong enough for the court or for me to say this is the person who was responsible," Alito told Fox News chief legal correspondent and "Fox News Sunday" anchor Shannon Bream in an exclusive interview last month.

"It was a grave breach of the trust that everybody who worked in this building had before that point. 

"And it very predictably made the five of us in the majority targets for assassination and nearly resulted in the assassination of my colleague Brett Kavanaugh."

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Politico published the draft on May 2, 2022, revealing that at least five conservative justices were prepared to overturn Roe. The final decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization follo