Judge Amy Coney Barrett mocks pro-abortion protesters for stealing her home

Supreme Court Justice Amy Comey Barrett was greeted with thunderous applause when she appeared before the conservative Federalist Society on Thursday at its first annual convention since the court overturned a nationwide abortion right.

“Thank you, it’s really nice that there’s a lot of noise being made that isn’t by protesters outside my house,” Barrett joked, referring to the frequent demonstrations over the June court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade.

Barrett was part of the court’s conservative supermajority supporter of the controversial ruling, which sparked strong protests from abortion rights supporters, including vociferous demonstrations outside judges’ homes.

At the height of the fury, a California man with a gun was arrested outside Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s home after the suspect admitted he planned to kill the judge for supporting the abortion ruling.

The threat against Kavanaugh foreshadowed a separate vicious attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband on Oct. 28 at the Democrat home in San Francisco, which had also been the target of political protests.

At Thursday’s dinner, Barrett took a victory lap alongside Judge Samuel Alito, who also received a standing ovation.

Judges Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch also received applause at the Federalist Society’s annual event.

The Federalist Society is not partisan and takes no stance in election campaigns, but is closely aligned with Republican priorities.

The legal group is one of the most influential in the country, and its members have long criticized the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which established national legal protections for abortion.

The event was held in the main hall of the Union Station in Washington, where the silhouette of James Madison, the group’s logo, was projected onto the walls.

Judge Clarence Thomas, the other majority member of the abortion case, was not at the dinner.

Alito did not mention the abortion decision or other aspects of the court’s work during his brief remarks.

But Stephen Markman, a former Michigan Supreme Court judge, said that if the ruling were forever associated with Alito, “I don’t know of any decision by a judge in a court that that judge could be more proud of.”

The comments were met with a standing ovation, with attendees turning towards Alito.

Barrett’s comments were largely focused on honoring the late Judge Laurence Silberman, who was on the D.C. federal appeals court and died last month.

Her comment about protesters was her only mention of the abortion ruling at dinner.

Rolling back abortion rights is believed to have played a major role in the recent midterm elections, boosting Democrats who otherwise struggled to build enthusiasm in the face of President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings.

polls tend to find that a majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, with only a small segment supporting a total ban.

Thursday’s dinner celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Federalist Society, which is especially influential in Republican circles.

Leonard Leo, a longtime conservative legal activist, while serving as manager of the Federalist Society, helped compile a list of potential U.S. Supreme Court candidates that former President Donald Trump drew on during his term in office.

Leo also spoke at the event, recalling that the first time he attended the convention dinner, the group struggled to fill a hotel ballroom.

“Our movement has grown by leaps and bounds, and so has our impact,” he said.