New abortion court battles follow Dobbs

The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision has opened the floodgates for pro-abortion lawsuits seeking to stop the enactment of “trigger laws” in states across the country. The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion. Abortion supporters have already filed lawsuits in Florida, Louisiana, and Utah to challenge impending laws that will protect unborn babies. Other lawsuits may seek to challenge pre-Roe pro-life laws still on the books in other states.

Will this work? A judge in Louisiana on Monday temporarily blocked the state’s pro-life law after a pro-abortion group sued. This could happen in other states, but conservative lawmakers can quickly move to address any legal issues with pro-life laws. Many abortion facilities have already shut down operations in states with trigger laws and likely won’t resume procedures until the state’s laws are clear — if they resume at all.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s segment on The World and Everything in It podcast about the legal reasoning behind the Dobbs v. Jackson decision.