What does the cryptic crossword clue "Wade's opponent in court sounds dear (3)" mean?

The definition is "Wade’s opponent in court". The wordplay uses a homophone (sounds like). Homophone [ sounds ] of DEAR is DEER, of which ROE is a species. Wade vs Roe was a famous court case in the US centring on the woman's right to have an abortion. It's been much in the news over the last year or so. The answer is ROE.

Wade's opponent in court sounds dear (3)

Guardian Cryptic #28976 | 23 Across | 2023-01-25 flower

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