Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Monday night praised a report that the Supreme Court would strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, but blasted the way the news was learned.
Politico, citing a leaked draft opinion concerning a Mississippi case, reported earlier that the justices would offer an "unflinching repudiation" of the 1973 decision that guaranteed federal constitutional protections for abortion rights in America, and of a 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey that basically upheld the tenets of Roe.
"If this report is true, this is nothing short of a massive victory for life and will save the lives of millions of innocent babies," Cruz tweeted late Monday. "But while I continue to wait for the Supreme Court's ultimate opinion, I am appalled by the shocking breach of trust posed by this leak. 1/x"
Cruz and other right-to-life supporters feared the leaked opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated inside the court, was an attempt by the left to bully the court.
"This is a blatant attempt to intimidate the Court through public pressure rather than reasoned argument," he tweeted.
"I hope my fellow former clerks and the entire legal community will join me in denouncing this egregious breach of trust. 2/x"
Cruz, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been a strong right-to-life proponent.
"I remain committed to supporting pro-life legislation to protect the health & well-being of all women & to save as many unborn children as we possibly can," Cruz tweeted in January, 2018.
"And I hope and pray that one day, all unborn children will be awarded the most basic of all human rights –the right to life."
National Right to Life (NRL) endorsed Cruz during the 2016 Republican presidential primary.
"National Right to Life believes Sen. Cruz is the only candidate for president who has always been pro-life, who has a 100% pro-life voting record with National Right to Life, who can win the Republican nomination, and who can defeat pro-abortion Hillary Clinton in November," the NRL said at the time.