The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to lift a federal appeals court’s ruling that allowed the Texas abortion law, which effectively bans the procedure after six weeks, to remain in effect.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered Texas to respond by midday Thursday to the Biden administration’s move to block the state’s controversial abortion law, the Associated Press reported. On Monday, the Justice Department officially requested that the high court lift a federal appeals court’s ruling that allows the Texas law, which effectively bans abortions after six weeks, to remain in effect after a U.S. District judge temporarily blocked it. The Justice Department wrote in its plea to the Supreme Court that the Texas legislation challenges some of the court’s previous rulings “by banning abortion long before viability—indeed, before many women even realize they are pregnant.” “The question now is whether Texas’ nullification of this Court’s precedents should be allowed to continue while the courts consider the United States’ suit. As the [U.S. District Court judge] recognized, it should not,” the Justice Department wrote. The Biden administration has also brought up the possibility of having the high court provide a full review and ruling on the law’s constitutionality during its current term, the AP reported. While it is rare for the court to get involved this early in a lawsuit, the administration said that the Texas law, and the possibility that other states could follow in its footsteps, warrant such early involvement.
