Abortion

Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to law that will end medication abortions in Arkansas

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to an Arkansas law that has the effect of ending medication abortions in the state.

May 30, 2018 11:33 AM CDT

Supreme Court justices relist abortion case multiple times

U.S. Supreme Court justices have been considering whether to hear a case involving an immigrants teen’s abortion—multiple times.

May 21, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

7th Circuit blocks disability abortion ban; partial dissent labels the procedure a ‘super-right’

A federal appeals court has upheld a permanent injunction blocking an Indiana law that banned abortions based on race, sex, ancestry, Down syndrome or other genetic disorders. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, report the Indianapolis Star, the Indiana Lawyer and Reuters. How Appealing links to…

Apr 20, 2018 3:34 PM CDT

Roe v. Wade had broader impact than the public realizes, says author of ‘Beyond Abortion’ (podcast)

In the 45 years since Roe v. Wade was decided, it has been a focal point for both anti-abortion and pro-abortion rights groups. But the opinion in the 1973 case has also been used by activists of liberal, libertarian and conservative ideologies to develop privacy arguments for issues ranging from access to experimental drugs to euthanasia to personal data security to sex worker rights.

Apr 11, 2018 8:30 AM CDT

New judicial litmus test, used to select Gorsuch, aims to shrink the ‘administrative state’

Past Republican administrations have employed an unspoken litmus test on judicial picks. The judges had to be anti-abortion or they had to have conservative views on social issues. But the Trump administration has a new litmus test: whether the judges will help tame the “administrative state,” the New York Times…

Mar 28, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Swing voter Kennedy appears troubled by law requiring abortion information at anti-abortion centers

In oral arguments on Monday, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy expressed reservations about a California law requiring some anti-abortion centers to post information on free and low-cost abortions. Kennedy is likely to provide the swing vote in the case, report the National Law Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street…

Mar 21, 2018 10:58 AM CDT

6th Circuit nominee refuses to say whether Roe was correctly decided

A nominee to the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is refusing to say whether he believes Roe v. Wade was correctly decided. John Nalbandian told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing that he didn’t want to take a position on the case because the abortion decision…

Mar 8, 2018 1:50 PM CST

Supreme Court to weigh whether law aimed at crisis pregnancy centers violates First Amendment

A law aimed largely at the field of crisis pregnancy centers, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, will be argued today before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mar 1, 2018 2:15 AM CST

Second Amendment is a ‘disfavored right’ in the Supreme Court, Thomas says in cert-denial dissent

Justice Clarence Thomas asserted the Second Amendment is “a disfavored right” in the U.S. Supreme Court when he dissented Tuesday from the denial of certiorari in a gun case.

Feb 20, 2018 11:16 AM CST

Chemerinsky: Free speech at the Supreme Court

In a term filled with potential blockbuster decisions, it is striking that there are five cases involving issues of freedom of speech. They touch on many different aspects of First Amendment jurisprudence and collectively have the potential for significantly changing the law in this area.

Feb 8, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Satanic Temple’s challenge to abortion law heads to Missouri Supreme Court

The Missouri Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Tuesday in a suit filed by a Satanic Temple follower that challenges the state’s abortion informed consent law. The suit filed by a resident known as Mary Doe says the law violates her deeply held religious beliefs in violation of the state’s…

Jan 23, 2018 11:12 AM CST

Health-care workers with moral or religious objections have support of new HHS division

The Department of Health and Human Services has a new division to help protect health-care workers with moral or religious objections to providing certain types of care. The agency’s website gives examples of the types of procedures that could spur objections: abortions, sterilization and assisted suicide, the Washington Post reports.…

Jan 18, 2018 11:09 AM CST

8 states file brief supporting the government’s attempt to deny abortions to immigrant minors

Eight states described as having “a legitimate and substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life” have weighed in on a lawsuit seeking to clear the way for immigrant minors in federal custody to have abortions. An amicus brief in Garza v. Hargan from the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan,…

Jan 9, 2018 4:02 PM CST

Advocates are fighting to outlaw adult marriages to minors

Virginia, Texas and New York forbid under-18 marriages, except for emancipated minors. Six more states will consider legislation soon. More than half of all states do not specify a minimum age for marriage.

Jan 1, 2018 3:25 AM CST

Justice Department says abortion appeal in case of immigrant teen is likely moot because of her age

The U.S. Justice Department says a government appeal is likely moot in the case of an immigrant teen seeking an abortion because the department has learned she is an adult. In a filing on Tuesday, the Justice Department said it had obtained birth certificate for the teen, identified only as…

Dec 20, 2017 10:39 AM CST