U.S. Supreme Court report fails to identify abortion ruling leak culprit

FILE PHOTO: Abortion rights campaigners participate in a demonstration following the leaked Supreme Court opinion suggesting the possibility of overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, in Washington, U.S., May 14, 2022. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court in an investigative report on Thursday failed to identify who was behind the May 2022 leak of a draft version of its blockbuster ruling overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized abortion nationwide and criticized the nation's top judicial body's security measures.

The report detailed an eight-month investigation conducted by Supreme Court marshal Gail Curley at the direction of Chief Justice John Roberts. The leak - with the news outlet Politico publishing the draft ruling on May 2 - prompted an internal crisis at the court and ignited a political firestorm, with abortion rights supporters staging rallies outside the courthouse and at various locations around the United States.