WASHINGTON — The sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016 initially seemed to end hopes conservatives had for overturning Roe vs. Wade.
He had been the court's most outspoken opponent of the right to abortion and the leader of its conservative wing. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined him in opposing Roe, but they were well short of a majority.
But rather than end any threat to Roe, Scalia's death instead triggered a series of hard-ball moves and unexpected developments that led to the reversal of Roe vs. Wade.
