NJ Congresswoman One Of 17 Arrested Outside Supreme Court During Abortion Rally

WASHINGTON, DC — Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) was arrested Tuesday afternoon while protesting for abortion access outside the Supreme Court of the United States, staff confirmed.

She was processed and released, and left police custody after an hour, her office said.

The Democrat was among 17 Congresspeople cuffed for "Crowding, Obstructing or Incommoding" according to U.S. Capitol Police and Watson Coleman's office. Eighteen other people were arrested, police said around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Capitol Police said the protesters were blocking First Street Northeast and had been given three warnings to clear a path.

After her release, Watson Coleman issued a statement:

"A month ago, five reactionaries in robes ended the constitutional right to an abortion. They showed us they’re willing to eliminate our freedom to make decisions about our own bodies," she said. "The attacks on our personal freedoms must stop. On Friday, Democrats in the House passed legislation to protect the right to choose. We’ll continue to fight until the right to bodily autonomy has been restored to all Americans."

The lawmakers had gathered outside the Court days after the House passed a suite of bills that would codify a right to abortion and preserve the right to travel across state lines to get abortions. The bills are nearly certain to fail in the Senate.

The legislative push comes weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, effectively making abortion illegal in several states and removing a constitutional right that had been in place since 1973.

The following lawmakers were among those arrested:

• Rep. Jackie Speier of California
• Rep. Carolyn Malone of New York
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York
• Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan
• Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
• Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts
• Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan
• Rep. Sara Jacobs of California
• Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts
• Rep. Nydia Velázquez of New York
• Rep. Barbara Lee of California
• Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri
• Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois
• Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania

Watson Coleman represents New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, which includes much of Mercer and Middlesex Counties as well as some municipalities in Somerset and Union counties.