Centrist and conservative commentators are saying the recent pro-abortion rights protests outside the houses of conservative Supreme Court justices have crossed a line. These are mobs of harassers who have breached the acceptable parameters of protest, critics contend. But such arguments rest in large part on the myth of an apolitical judiciary. Looked at another way, the protests are salutary rather than destructive, bringing something to bear upon the court that by design it has been always been shielded from: democratic energy.

The leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade has sparked protests across the nation. The rage is understandable: Nearly two-thirds of Americans want to keep Roe v. Wade in place, and a majority of the women of childbearing age in the U.S. live in states where their abortion rights would be imperiled if the draft opinion becomes final.

But demonstrations outside the houses of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in recent days have generated backlash this week from a number of talking heads.