After the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade last week, multiple abortion clinics asked the courts to put a temporary pause on a pre-Roe Texas law that outlaws abortion in the state.
While Harris County Judge Christine Weems issued a temporary restraining order against enforcement of those laws against certain abortion facilities earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court has stepped in, blocking the lower court’s order on the grounds she has no jurisdiction to enjoin enforcement of the abortion ban, allowing the state’s ban on abortion to continue for now.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sought the relief from the state’s highest civil court, had maintained that the laws were “100% in effect and constitutional” despite the Harris County Judge’s order.
With the Texas Supreme Court’s latest action, Paxton celebrated the move as a “pro-life victory.”
Pro-life victory! Thanks to my appeal, SCOTX has slapped down the abortion providers and the district court carrying their water. Our state’s pre-Roe statutes banning abortion in Texas are 100% good law. Litigation continues, but I’ll keep winning for Texas’s unborn babies. pic.twitter.com/xgQuDtEXQu
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) July 2, 2022
For now, however, the relief is temporary as litigation continues in the next couple weeks.
