A Supreme Court justice signed onto the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade minutes after receiving the draft decision.The New York Times reported on Friday that Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the six conservative-leaning justices in the body, signed on to the 98-page draft Dobbs decision 10 minutes after it hit his desk.Justices send their draft opinions to their colleagues on the bench and can negotiate changes with them, sometimes using their votes as leverage.SUPREME COURT’S SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPON BAN RULING, PASSPORT REFORM TAKES NEXT STEPS AND MORE TOP HEADLINES The New York Times reported on Friday that Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the six conservative-leaning justices in the body, signed onto the 98-page Dobbs decision 10 minutes after it hit his desk. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)Gorsuch had no edits, according to the Times’ sources who reviewed the messages.The next day, a cascade of conservative justices joined the draft opinion with no edits — beginning with Justice Clarence Thomas.Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined next, and a few days later, Justice Brett Kavanaugh signed on.Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court for comment. Justices send their draft opinions to their colleagues on the bench and can negotiate changes with them, sometimes using their votes as leverage. The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022 overturned nearly 50 years of precedent based on the 1973 Supreme Court decision on abortion, Roe v. Wade.With Roe’s demise, national abortion protections were no longer constitutionally enshrined by a judicial decision and the subject returned to the states and Congress to decide.On Thursday, the Supreme Court allowed an Illinois law banning high-powered semiautomatic weapons to remain in place.In a Thursday order with no noted dissents or explanation of its decision, the Supreme Court denied a request from the National Association for Gun rights, which had asked for a preliminary injunction.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe ban, signed by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in January, includes penalties for any individual who “carries or possesses, . . .manufactures, sells, delivers, imports, or purchases any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle.” The law also includes statutory penalties for someone who, “sells, manufactures, delivers, imports, possesses, or purchases any assault weapon attachment or .50 caliber cartridge.”Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes contributed reporting. Houston Keene is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Houston.Keene@Fox.com and on Twitter: @HoustonKeene
