Protesters Gather Outside Supreme Court Justices' Chevy Chase Homes

CHEVY CHASE, MD — Since the leak of the Supreme Court's draft opinion, which indicated that it is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, protesters have gathered outside of Supreme Court Justice's homes, including those of Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts in Chevy Chase.

People can be heard shouting"Hands off my body" and "The whole world is watching" in a video of the protests published by CNN.

"You don’t get to take away my bodily autonomy and get enjoy your Saturday at home. You can do one or the other," one protester, Nikki Enfield, said to WUSA.

The abortion rights advocates chanted and marched on sidewalks outside the homes this weekend and held up signs.

Politico, which first leaked the document, noted that Justice Samuel Alito wrote the draft majority opinion in support of overturning Roe v. Wade. The protests outside justices' homes have resulted in a debate about protesting outside homes of public officials.

Lt. Peter Davidov, with the Montgomery County Police Department, told WTOP that county code and Maryland law both prohibit picketing at a private residence. Protests are allowed in a residential neighborhood, “but you cannot picket at a particular residence.”

Davidov said protesters in residential areas can be in public spaces, “where you can be lawfully present without impeding people’s ability to go about freely.” That means protesters can be on sidewalks in residential neighborhoods, but they can’t block them.

As of Monday afternoon, no citations or arrests were made involving the protesters.

On Monday, Michael Ricci, a spokesman for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, said in a statement, “The governor directed state law enforcement leaders to work with local and federal partners and be prepared to assist in the event there is a need for increased security and protective measures.”

One of the steps taken is to ensure coordination between Maryland State Police, the state’s Coordination and Analysis Center, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Supreme Court Police and Montgomery and Prince George’s county police departments, Hogan's office said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that President Joe Biden "strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest. But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism. Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety."

The Washington Post reported that one Chevy Chase woman, Lacie Wooten-Holway, has been holding candlelight vigils outside of Kavanaugh's home for months. She said she's usually the only one there, though recently she has been joined by many others.

"We’re about to get doomsday, so I’m not going to be civil to that man at all," she said to a man who said she shouldn't protest in front of Kavanaugh's house, The Washington Post reported.