The Supreme Court may have been unable to identify the source of a leaked draft opinion on abortion rights, but officials want to prevent history from repeating and are implementing new security measures.
(Bloomberg) — The Supreme Court may have been unable to identify the source of a leaked draft opinion on abortion rights, but officials want to prevent history from repeating and are implementing new security measures.
The court has already taken steps to increase security and controls over sensitive documents, and Chief Justice John Roberts has asked for a “comprehensive review” of the court’s information and document practices. In addition, an outside expert the court brought in has recommended the adoption of other controls prevalent in the business world.
Limiting the distribution of hard-copy opinion drafts as well as the dissemination of sensitive information via email and mobile devices are among the security measures recommended to the court by Michael Chertoff, the former Homeland Security Secretary and federal appeals court judge who reviewed the Supreme Court Marshal’s investigation. Chertoff clerked for one-time Supreme Court Justice William Brennan.
Chertoff also recommended that the court utilize “information rights management” tools to control the use and sharing of sensitive information.
“While there is not sufficient evidence at present for prosecution or other legal action, there were important insights gleaned from the investigation that can be acted upon to avoid future incidents,” Chertoff wrote.
The report notes that an investigation is currently ongoing to prevent future incidents and that many of the potential updates “are underway and will be completed as soon as practicable.”
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