A conservative member of the US Supreme Court has mocked world leaders who criticised last month’s ruling that overturned American abortion rights.
Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the ruling, dismissed criticism from a host of prominent figures, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He joked that Mr Johnson, who leaves office in September, had “paid the price” for arguing against the verdict.
Mr Alito, a devout Catholic, was speaking at a conference in Rome.
“I had the honour this term of writing I think the only supreme court decision in the history of that institution that has been lambasted by a whole string of foreign leaders who felt perfectly fine commenting on American law,” Mr Alito said.
“One of these was Boris Johnson, but he paid the price,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience. Mr Johnson, who announced his intention to resign earlier this month after a string of scandals, had called the ruling “a big step backwards”.
Mr Alito also referenced French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, who had condemned the “rolling back of constitutional rights” in the US during a speech to the UN earlier this month.
