Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Abortion Ruling Leak Prompts Inquiry

Wisconsin’s high court is taking steps to discover the source of a local media outlet’s report that it will hear a case over whether the state constitution protects a right to abortion.

Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler announced the investigation on a brief statement posted on the court’s website Thursday, saying “the entire court was shocked to learn that a confidential draft document was ostensibly leaked to the press.” Law enforcement has been requested to perform a full investigation to identify the source of the leak, Ziegler said.

The news broke after the US Supreme Court on Wednesday inadvertently posted and then removed an opinion on its website that would allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho for now. The high court formally released the Idaho abortion opinion Thursday, as its term is drawing to a close.

The report by Wisconsin Watch said the Wisconsin Supreme Court intends to grant a request by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to hear a petition for recognizing a right to abortion in the state constitution.

Planned Parenthood in February asked the state’s top court to review the case. It argued that the Wisconsin Constitution’s protections for bodily autonomy, integrity, and self-determination include the rights to access abortion and contraception.

Abortion is legal in Wisconsin up until about 20 weeks.

The Wisconsin justices unanimously condemned the breach, Ziegler said.

Pines Bach LLP represents Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood has received funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization founded by Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg Law is operated by entities controlled by Michael Bloomberg.

The case is Planned Parenthood of Wis. v. Urmanski, Wis., No. 2024AP000330, 6/26/24.