BLOCKED

Supreme Court: Louisiana Cannot Enforce Restrictive Abortion Law

Chief Justice John Roberts joined liberals on legislation requiring doctors to have nearby admitting privileges.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court has kept on hold a Louisiana law that critics warned would close most of the state’s abortion clinics. Late Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s four liberal justices in granting a stay for the law, which would have required abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The law has never been enforced, and the justices may still consider whether it infringes on a woman’s right to abortion, The Washington Post reports. Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the only member on the other side of the vote to author a dissenting opinion. The newspaper reports that the Louisiana law is “nearly identical” to Texas legislation found to be unconstitutional in 2016.