Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch said Thursday that he hopes the investigation into the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization draft opinion leak will be completed soon.
It was Gorsuch’s first public comments since the late June ruling striking down a nationwide constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade. Gorsuch spoke before a group of lawyers and judges Thursday in Colorado Springs at the 10th Circuit Judicial Conference.
"The chief justice appointed an internal committee to oversee the investigation," Gorsuch said. "That committee has been busy, and we’re looking forward to their report, I hope, soon."
Fox News confirmed the comments first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
A majority draft opinion, reflecting that the high court would, in fact, overturn Roe v. Wade, was leaked in May and first reported by Politico.
Chief Justice John Roberts ordered the Court's marshal to conduct an internal investigation, but there have been few updates, and it is not clear whether the court’s leak report will be made public.
Multiple sources previously told Fox News that the investigation into the approximately 70 individuals in the court who may have had access to the draft opinion has been narrowed. Sources say much of the initial focus was on the three dozen or so law clerks, who work directly with the justices on their caseload.
SUPREME COURT'S ROE V. WADE DECISION: READ THE DOBBS V. JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH RULING
The Supreme Court, at the time, acknowledged that a "copy of a draft opinion in a pending case" was made public but stressed that it did "not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case."
Following the leak, conservative justices on the bench began receiving threats and experienced protests outside their homes.
The Supreme Court will come back for the October term just weeks before Americans head to the polls to cast their ballots in the midterm elections.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
