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RICHMOND – As abortion rights activists picketed in front of the home of Alexandria Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. on Monday night, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin appeared on Twitter to say U.S. police were nearby and “close protests.” .
Then came the reaction – from the Conservatives, who demanded that the new Republican governor order soldiers to arrest protesters under a U.S. law banning picketing outside private homes – although the local police, not the state soldiers, must enforce this law.
“Picketing or disturbing the peace of mind is explicitly illegal in the British community,” tweeted Jack Posobietz, a podcaster and promoter of false claims known as Pizzagate, to his 1.7 million followers who continued to criticize Youngkin for “being “Monitoring the situation” – one of several such tweets from conservatives.
Fairfax County police were at Alito’s home on Monday during a peaceful protest and made no arrests.
A spokesman for Youngkin, Macaulay Porter, said the governor and his administration were “in constant coordination” with Fairfax and the state police.
“We are devoting significant resources to supporting the effort, and the governor’s office is in talks with Fairfax County officials and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Our priority is to ensure the safety of all Virginians, including Supreme Court justices in their homes,” she said in a text message.
As the Republican State Party backed Yengin on Tuesday, calling him a “law and order leader,” the governor also made unfavorable comparisons with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a fellow Republican who, like Yengin, appears to be considering a presidential nomination. of the Republican Party for 2024. A number of Twitter users have suggested that Youngkin may learn one or two of his colleague’s more aggressive tactics in Florida.
Youngkin has fought in many ways since taking office in January, often choosing battles for cultural wars that he knows he can’t win in a divided Capitol, but will raise his national profile. However, abortion is significantly absent from the mix, at least so far.
Youngkin’s two sides: Virginia’s new governor calls for unity but continues to fuel changing issues
Youngkin is running for the Republican nomination, promising to oppose abortion, but said little about his specific political goals during the general election. In a secret meeting, he confided that he could not talk about his anti-abortion program without losing independent voters, but promised to “attack” abortion if he won the Executive Mansion.
Speaking on the subject during a debate, Youngkin said he supported the right to abortion in cases of rape or incest or to save a woman’s life. He also said he would support a “pain threshold bill” like the one in Congress that would ban most abortions in 20 weeks.
But since taking office, Youngkin has largely adhered to symbolic gestures about abortion, such as making the state’s chief of diversity diversity “ambassador for unborn children.”
Last week, when an expired draft opinion suggested that the US Supreme Court was preparing to overturn the decision Rowe vs. Wade a solution guaranteeing access to abortion across the country, Youngkin said he would support such a decision. But he also said it was too early to say what restrictions he would pursue if that happened.
Despite his restraint on the subject, Youngkin assessed the protests in front of the home of Alito, who is the author of the draft.
“We coordinated with [Fairfax County police and state police]and the federal government to ensure there is no violence, “he tweeted. “Virginia police were watching closely, fully coordinated with Fairfax County and close to the protests.
In another tweet, the governor said, “Virginia State Police will assist federal and local law enforcement if necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens, including Supreme Court justices who call Virginia home.”
“He’s not good enough,” tweeted back to Youngkin Will Chamberlain, a lawyer for The Article III Project, which supports constitutional judges and judicial independence. “Your job is more than just ‘insurance.'[ing] that there is no violence. This is for law enforcement. Either explain why these protests are legal in Virginia, or * make arrests * next time. We are fed up with Republicans who will not enforce the law against Antifa thugs. “
The launch of the bill led to protests in the homes of several judges, including Montgomery County, Maryland, the homes of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Judge Brett M. Cavanaugh.
This was said by the Minister of Public Security and Internal Security Bob Mozir State law enforcement agencies have been in close contact with local authorities about the possibility of such protests, but did not consider the state to have primary responsibility.
The local police agency is “the main law enforcement agency that handles these situations,” Mozier said. He said U.S. troops were also available in the area if requested as support from Fairfax County authorities.
Mozier also noted that federal law explicitly prohibits “pickets or parades” at a judge’s home “with the intention of influencing … the performance of his duties.”
“We do not have federal police powers. We cannot act on this; it will depend on the federal government, the US marshal’s office, something of that nature, “he said.
A Republican spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said others in the Virginia Party were reluctant to criticize the governor’s response. They want to be “behind the governor” in two senses of the phrase, the man said: “They want to support him and they want him to be the protector of the wind,” taking on the weight of any criticism.
But an official familiar with the Republican leadership’s thinking said the protests were a delicate matter. While state law is clear in banning demonstrations in front of someone’s home, “Hey, we have protests in this country. This is not Russia, “the official said. “You don’t want to go in right away to load people in the car … You have to balance these two interests as closely as possible.”
Justin Juvenal contributed to this report.
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