Montage: Roe v. Wade ruling sees MSNBC, CNN and more erupt, rip into the Supreme Court
The liberal media gave emotional reactions that characterized SCOTUS as a partisan institution and made dire predictions about the future of rights in America.
Liberal media outlets, with most of the noise emanating from MSNBC and CNN, went full scorched-earth after the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and send abortion back to the states.
Journalists, pundits and guests quickly gave emotional reactions to the news, claiming that a "legal Civil War" was imminent and lamenting the Supreme Court as a partisan institution bent on destroying women’s rights.
The solemn mood was set when CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin was interrupted by news of the ruling. CNN anchor Poppy Harlow looked visibly shaken as co-anchor Jim Sciutto read the Court’s decision.
CNN Jessica Schneider subsequently provided further information on the ruling from the steps of the Supreme Court, saying the overturning of Roe v. Wade "eliminated the constitutional right" to abortion.
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS ROE V. WADE IN LANDMARK ABORTION DECISION
Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., US, on Friday, June 24, 2022. A deeply divided Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and wiped out the constitutional right to abortion, issuing a historic ruling likely to render the procedure largely illegal in half the country. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
On CNN’s following segment, legal analyst Jennifer Rodgers questioned how far states would now go in "criminalizing every single aspect" of women’s reproductive healthcare and floated the idea that menstrual cycle tracking could be banned.
"Are they going to be able to search your apps—you know there’s apps that track your menstrual cycle. You know how far are these states going to try and go?" she wondered.
The ruling also elicited an emotional reaction from CBS News’ "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan, who said she had "goosebumps" upon hearing the news.
"This is such a huge moment, and this will have so many effects that we can’t even fully appreciate today," Brennan said.
People protest about abortion, Friday, June 24, 2022, outside the Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Many anchors and journalists ripped into the Supreme Court, questioning its legitimacy and characterizing it as a conservative, political court.
NBC’s Chuck Todd immediately reacted to the news by claiming many Americans believe the Supreme Court is "rigged."
"I think there are no more black robes. I think the robes are red and blue," Todd added.
ABC’s Terry Moran proclaimed that the ruling is another indication that America now has a "very, very strongly activist, conservative court."
"We are in a new era where the reaching for the center to keep the court’s legitimacy in the eyes of the public, to keep the debate going, is over," he said.
NBC’s Lester Holt, repeating the words of NBC's Pete Williams a day earlier, said that the conservative "super majority" within the Supreme Court has now begun "really flexing its muscles."
CNN’s legal analysts also weighed in on the ramifications of the ruling, with Toobin predicting that the result would lead to "legal civil war."
"It’s going to be legal chaos, forget the legal Civil War," legal analyst Lauren Coates similarly stated.
SUPREME COURT OVERTURNING ROE V. WADE SPARKS SUPREME MELTDOWN FROM LIBERAL JOURNOS
Lawyer and Slate senior editor Dahlia Lithwick joined MSNBC just after the ruling and stopped herself short of agreeing with the Civil War phrase, but added that the Court’s decision would at the very least lead to "immense bickering."
Activists flocked to the Supreme Court following the overturn of Roe v. Wade on Friday June 24, 2022. (Fox News Digital/Lisa Bennatan)
"There are two countries [now]. There are quite literally red states and blue states," she added.
Thirteen states in the country are poised to enact immediate abortion bans and at least 13 more could quickly follow suit after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, leaving abortion rights up to the states to decide.
At least 13 states in the country have so-called "trigger laws" banning most abortions that will take effect immediately or within weeks of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
There are also five additional states – Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin – that still have an abortion ban on the books from before Roe v. Wade that will go into effect now that the 1973 landmark law is overturned.
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Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.