Abortion Opinion Author Alito Cancels Appearance After Leak (1)

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito canceled plans to attend a judicial conference in Tennessee just days after his draft opinion to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion was leaked to the public, according to a law professor at the event.

In brief remarks recorded on video, Alito told attendees at the Nashville conference on Friday that he had been looking forward to attending in person, but that it had become impractical to do so, according to Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law. The justice didn’t explain why, Blackman said.

Samuel Alito

Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“Unfortunately, personal attendance became impractical, ...