Vice President Kamala Harris argued the Supreme Court threatened “fundamental freedoms across the board” and sounded the alarm on the court’s conservative justices during a recent interview.
“This court has shown itself to be an activist court,” Harris told the New York Times in an interview published Thursday. The vice president hesitated to elaborate on what legal precedent specifically could be thwarted by the court, because she was concerned about sounding “alarmist.”
Harris has made abortion her focus on the campaign trail after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“This court has made it very clear that they are willing to undo recognized rights,” Harris continued.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in Orangeburg, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard) (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
The vice president pointed to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion in the Dobbs decision, the ruling that overturned Roe. He suggested in his concurring opinion that the court revisit previous rulings on contraception and gay marriage.
“You could even look at Clarence Thomas saying a lot of the quiet part out loud,” she said. “Just look at what he said and then maybe that gives us some indication. Just look at one of the justices to see where they might go next.”
Harris criticized presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and said the former president might sign a national abortion ban if he wins. Trump has said he believes the issue of abortion should be left to the states.
Asked if she was concerned about Trump’s recent stance on abortion, Harris said Americans would see right through him.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024 in New York City. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)
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“I think the American people recognize when they’re being gaslit and have the ability to decipher beyond the charade,” she said.
The vice president also criticized the court during a recent interview with talk-show host Drew Barrymore.
She said the Supreme Court justices “took a constitutional right that had been recognized from the women of America.”
The Supreme Court is photographed, Feb. 28, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
“How dare they? Think of the notion that some person sitting in some state legislature believes, mostly, that he is in a better position than you to know what’s in your best interest,” she added. “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do with her body.”
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.