1/ The Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to block enforcement of a restrictive Texas abortion law while a legal challenge moves forward. The law, which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and empowers private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” in the procedure, took effect Sept. 1 after the Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency request to stop it. The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the court’s three liberal members in dissent. The Justice Department then sued the state of Texas after the court declined to block the law. Last week, a federal judge temporarily suspended enforcement of the abortion ban, saying he would “not sanction one more day of this offensive deprivation of such an important right.” The law, however, was allowed to go back into effect after the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the law to remain in place during ongoing litigation between Texas and the federal government. (New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2021/10/15/day-269/