Surrounded by an ominous security barrier and without spectators since March 2020, the United States Supreme Court is about to pass an important decision behind closed doors that could drastically reduce the right to abortion in the coming weeks.

No members of the public have been allowed into the courtroom since the implementation of the Covid-19 pandemic measures in March 2020. The courtroom scene was further tense after protests and threats against some of the nine judges over the leaking of a draft opinion. Historic Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. The court has a conservative majority of 6 to 3.

The 2.4-metre-high fence was erected in the days following the leak as the court tightened security measures.

While the rest of Washington, including other government buildings such as the White House and Capitol, has reopened its doors to the public, at least partially, the top US judiciary still maintains a form of isolation, albeit a siege. has enormous influence on public policy.

For Guido Reichstadter, the abortion rights protester who has camped outside the courthouse since early June, the fence is a sign of how far the judges – or at least six conservatives – are from public sentiment.

Reichstadter, who was arrested for holding on to the fence on June 6 and spent one night in prison, said, “Why else would you fence?” she asked.

Anti-abortion advocates are sympathetic to concerns about the judges’ safety, saying they received threats after the leak.

“I would say the court is protecting itself, its staff,” said Kristan Hawkins, head of the Students for Life group.