Supreme Court refuses to block Texas abortion law on technical grounds

The Supreme Court has formally rejected a request by Texas abortion providers to block the state's new law restricting the procedure while legal challenges continue.

In a 5-4 decision Wednesday night, The U.S. Supreme Court formally rejected a request by Texas abortion providers to block the state's severe new law restricting the procedure while legal challenges continue. The law will make most abortions illegal after six weeks of pregnancy and encourage anyone to sue a person they believe is providing an abortion or assisting someone in getting an abortion after six weeks. The unsigned order from the court said the providers had "raised serious questions regarding the constitutionality of the Texas law at issue" but added "their application also presents complex and novel antecedent procedural questions" that they were unable to resolve. Specifically, the Court questioned whether the state officials sued in this case were the proper targets, since they don't enforce the Texas law, and whether state courts could also be properly ordered by the justices to refuse cases under S.B. 8.