In a statement to the judge, Newkirk said he had spoken out at the Supreme Court and broken the law “in the tradition of civil disobedience” to draw attention to the court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling and the then-pending McCutcheon campaign finance case.
“Our democracy is greatly threatened” by the court’s decisions weakening restrictions on campaign money, Newkirk told McKenna. “The Supreme Court has played a shameful role.”
The sentencing concluded a morning marked by hallway negotiations in which the Supreme Court—represented by court legal counsel Ethan Torrey—played a significant behind-the-scenes role. Torrey was present in the courtroom, as was a Supreme Court police officer.
After the session was over, the officer handed Newkirk a “barring notice” alerting Newkirk that he is prohibited from setting foot on Supreme Court property for the next 12 months. Earlier, Newkirk’s lawyer, Jeffrey Light, told McKenna that Newkirk, a resident of Los Angeles, had “no intention to return to the Supreme Court to do this again.”