SCOTUS Divided on Major Abortion Case

The first major abortion case during Trump’s time as POTUS has the Supreme Court divided and all eyes on Chief Justice John Roberts.

Abortion Rights and Lefts

A Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital is at the center of attention in the Supreme Court, as the decision is so far split among the judges, with Chief Justice John Roberts almost certainly being the deciding factor. A federal judge additionally discovered that if the law passes, only one of three of Louisiana’s abortion clinics would stay open, although New Orleans’ federal appeals court upheld the law, which led to the Supreme Court case.

The outcome of this case will likely have a huge impact nationwide as several states have passed laws that ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, although they are currently being challenged in courts.

Abortion-rights protesters gathered in front of the court Wednesday morning, with some anti-abortion demonstrators challenging the pro-rights groups from across the street, although all sides in the case agree that previous decisions should have no effect on how this case is handled by the Supreme Court, when asked by Roberts.

Louisiana Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill said that the Louisiana and Texas laws aren’t the same - “the laws are different, the facts are different, the regulatory structures are different.” The Trump administration, on the other hand, argued that the Texas case could be overruled if necessary when it comes down to making a decision.

A similar law was struck down in Texas four years ago, shortly before Trump’s election as president and the appointment of justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, who have been quite a force in shifting the court’s leanings towards the right over the left, although Roberts remains the key deciding vote.

The Louisiana law was blocked a year ago by Roberts and three other liberal justices, putting it n hold, despite Kavanaugh, Gorsuch and two other conservatives’ opinion and vote that would go for allowing it to take effect.
Reviewing whether or not abortion providers can legally represent the interests of women seeking abortions is another item on the court’s plate, although none of the justices apart from Samuel Alito seemed every enthusiastic in resolving the case.