Samuel Alito Cancels Appearance After Leak of Draft Opinion He Wrote Overturning Abortion Access

Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Associate Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 23, 2021

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was to be a no-show at a judicial conference starting on Thursday following the leak of a 98-page draft opinion he authored earlier this year in favor of overturning two landmark decisions, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which guarantee the right to abortion nationwide.

The conservative justice, 72, had been expected to attend the conference for judges from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal court based in New Orleans, and from the district courts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas but canceled, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for the Supreme Court told the news agency on Wednesday that Alito was not attending but did not explain why the justice, who is tasked with hearing emergency appeals from the 5th Circuit, would be absent.(Spokespeople for the court likewise did not immediately respond to questions from PEOPLE.)

Politico first published the leaked draft of Alito's opinion on Monday, flabbergasting court watchers and sending shock waves across the political landscape.

Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft but called the leak "a singular and egregious breach" of trust in a statement issued Tuesday.

A final decision on abortion access — which the court is weighing in a case about a Mississippi ban — isn't expected until this summer (and the justices' votes could still change). But such a ruling would effectively end the constitutional right to an abortion and place the regulations up to individual states.

RELATED: Abortions Are Still Legal in the U.S. — but Here's What Could Happen If Roe Is Overturned

Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Supreme Court justices

Alito's draft opinion was widely hailed by many conservatives, who have long sought to limit abortion access, often citing moral and religious reasons. But political leaders in favor of maintaining women's right to access abortion without government intrusion, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, have expressed dismay on the contents of the opinion.

"Republican legislators in states across the country are weaponizing the use of Roe v. Wade against women," Harris wrote in a tweet on Tuesday. "The rights of all Americans are at risk. This is the time to fight for women and our country with everything we have."

RELATED: Hillary Clinton Says Supreme Court's Purported Vote to Overturn Roe v. Wade Is 'an Utter Disgrace'

On Tuesday, Biden vowed to sign legislation, should Congress send it to him, that would make the right to an abortion a federal law. In a written statement, the president called on Congress to act in response to the leaked opinion, in which Justice Alito wrote that Roe "must be overruled."

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas are listed on a program for the 11th Circuit's judicial conference in Atlanta, which takes place Thursday and Friday, but according to Reuters it was unclear if they would attend.

Judicial conferences are an opportunity for judges to network, socialize, discuss legal matters and receive continuing education, according to the Reuters report.