Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has accused former President Donald Trump of appointing Supreme Court docket Justices for the precise goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

The New York Democratic Consultant's claims come as debate rages in Washington and throughout the U.S. over a possible change to the ruling, which has assured abortion rights nationwide since 1973.

However was Ocasio-Cortez proper to assert that Trump appointed Justices particularly to nullify the ruling?

amy coney barrett trump abortion
Seventh U.S. Circuit Court docket Decide Amy Coney Barrett speaks after U.S. President Donald Trump introduced that she can be his nominee to the Supreme Court docket within the Rose Backyard on the White Home September 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. With 38 days till the election, Trump tapped Barrett to be his third Supreme Court docket nominee in simply 4 years and to switch the late Affiliate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who can be buried at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery on Tuesday. CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Employees/Getty Pictures

The Declare

Rep Ocasio-Cortez, claimed on Could 3, 2022, that Senator Lisa Murkowski (R - AK) voted for Supreme Court docket Justice Amy Coney Barrett within the information that former President Trump had deliberately appointed her and others to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The tweet, posted on Could 3, 2022, has acquired greater than 85,000 interactions.

The Details

Whereas Trump has by no means explicitly vowed or promised to overturn Roe v. Wade, he has described himself as "pro-life" and expressed his intentions to nominate justices who have been prone to overturn the abortion ruling.

Throughout his presidency Trump appointed three Supreme Court docket Justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who Democrats feared would spearhead the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The leak of the Supreme Court docket draft opinion on the ruling, since then, seems to point that their appointments might certainly go away abortion legal guidelines within the arms of state legislatures.

Whereas Trump prevented saying explicitly that it was his plan to nominate the justices for the aim of overturning Roe v. Wade, a lot of what he mentioned throughout his presidential candidacy and time period strongly suggests he knew it could occur.

In 2016, in the course of the third presidential debate, presenter and chair Chris Wallace requested Trump "Would you like the courtroom, together with the justices you'll identify, to overturn Roe v. Wade which incorporates—actually states—a girls's proper to abortion."

He responded: "Properly, if that may occur as a result of I'm pro-life, and I can be appointing pro-life judges, I'd suppose that that can return to the person states."

Wallace pressed the query once more, asking "You simply mentioned you need the courtroom to guard the Second Modification, do you need to see the courtroom overturn Roe v. Wade?"

Trump replied: "Properly, if we put one other two or maybe three justices on that is actually what is going on to be—that can occur.

"That may occur robotically for my part as a result of I'm placing pro-life justices on the courtroom. I'll say this it should return to the states and the states will then make a willpower."

The identical 12 months, after changing into president-elect, Trump appeared on 60 Minutes with Leslie Stahl, the place he was requested: "Through the (presidential) marketing campaign, you mentioned that you'd appoint judges who have been in opposition to abortion rights... Are you seeking to appoint a justice who desires to overturn Roe v. Wade?"

He replied "I am professional life, the judges can be pro-life...having to do with abortion, if it ever have been overturned it could return to the states."

Stahl prompt if Roe v. Wade have been overturned some girls might not have the ability to get an abortion, to which Trump responded: "Maybe, they must go to a different state."

In 2020, following his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court docket, he was requested on Fox Information whether or not he needed to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

He mentioned: "So, I did not suppose it was for me to debate that along with her [Barrett], as a result of it is one thing she's going to be ruling on.

"However in case you take a look at her previous actions and rulings, I suppose she perhaps could be within the class that you just point out, I do not know."

He continued, "I can say this, that she is definitely conservative in her views and her rulings and we'll should see how that each one works out."

So, whereas Newsweek couldn't discover any proof of the president explicitly vowing to overturn Roe v. Wade or saying he had particularly appointed Justices to take action, his appointments of anti-abortion Supreme Court docket Justices seems to have had the identical impact.

Feedback he made whereas president strongly counsel he knew that appointing justices like Barrett would result in the ruling being overturned.

Newsweek contacted Ocasio-Cortez and Trump representatives for remark.

The Ruling

Fact Check - Mostly True

Principally True.

Ocasio-Cortez's declare is generally correct. Whereas not making an specific vow to overturn Roe v. Wade or stating that he would appoint Supreme Court docket Justices particularly to take action, Trump has mentioned he would appoint Supreme Court docket Justices that he acknowledged have been prone to "robotically" overturn the ruling.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK