Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Andy Levin arrested after protest outside US Supreme Court

U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit and Andy Levin of Bloomfield Township were among a group of Democrats in Congress arrested and led off by police on Tuesday after a protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court.

Members of the Democratic Women's Caucus, including Tlaib, sat down in the street outside the court in protest of last month's decision overturning the right to abortion. They were part of a protest organized by CPD Action, an affiliate of the Center for Popular Democracy, a progressive rights organization. Levin was among others taking part in the protest.

“Civil disobedience has always been part of our history and fight for change. This moment and the fight for women’s and reproductive rights calls for it," Tlaib said after her arrest in a statement put out by her office.

Both were released a short time after their arrests.

CPD Action posted a video of Tlaib, Levin and others being led away on Twitter.

Several states have already enacted laws sharply curtailing the availability of the procedure in the wake of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that overturned the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The new decision returned the question of whether and what restrictions to place on abortion access to the states.

Tlaib's office said she had been led away by U.S. Capitol Police along with several other members including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and others. A spokesman later confirmed Tlaib had been arrested and was being kept in a holding area with other members outside the Capitol.

While her office didn't immediately say what she had been charged with, Capitol Police before the arrests had posted on Twitter that there was a protest underway. That post said it was a crime to block traffic and protesters would be arrested if they didn't heed warnings to disperse.

Levin's office also confirmed he had been arrested. His charge sheet said he was arrested for "crowding, obstructing or incommoding," a misdemeanor.

The court is not currently in session but metal fencing has been maintained outside of it for some months after a copy of a draft opinion overturning Roe was leaked in May, sparking protests.

More: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, returns abortion question to states

More: Rep. Rashida Tlaib to run for reelection in new Detroit-Dearborn-Southfield district

Tlaib has called for codifying a right to abortion in federal law and expanding the court to dilute the sway held by the court's six conservatives, including three nominated by former President Donald Trump.

Tlaib, elected to Congress in 2018, is running for her third two-year term in the Aug. 2 Democratic primary in the newly drawn 12th Congressional District.

Contact Todd Spangler at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @tsspangler. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tlaib, Levin arrested after DC abortion rights protest