Hundreds of protesters, pro-life and pro-choice supporters on abortion rights, gathered outside the Supreme Court following the court's decision to overturn women's abortion rights protections nationwide earlier in the day.
"We have been working closely with our law enforcement partners in order to prepare for demonstrations related to the Supreme Court," Capitol Police said in a statement. "Any questions about the Court and its’ security posture must go to their Police Department."
The Supreme Court told Sputnik it could not discuss security arrangements as a matter of the court's policy.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington told Sputnik it has no jurisdiction to respond to any demonstrations at the Supreme Court.
A Sputnik correspondent spotted a sniper on top of the Supreme Court building overseeing security at the demonstration. Several buses loaded with unarmed Capitol police officers in riot gear arrived at the Supreme Court as well, according to media footage on social media.
Earlier on Friday, the US Supreme Court overturned the precedent established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and ruled that states may regulate the practice of abortion. Some US states already have so-called "trigger laws" that would outlaw or restrict the practice of abortion with allowed exceptions such as when the life of the mother is in danger.
President Joe Biden said in a press conference that the three justices nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court under the Trump administration – Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – were at the core of the decision. He affirmed his own administration’s commitment to protecting abortion rights through access to contraceptives and securing the right of interstate travel to seek abortion.