Four directions the supreme court’s abortion pill case could take
It’s possible that today ends with a supreme court decision allowing abortion medication mifepristone to stay available at pharmacies nationwide. Or, the court’s conservative majority could again display its willingness to throttle reproductive care access and allow an appeals court decision reimposing restrictions on the drug to go into effect.
Here’s a look at four ways the ruling on the mifepristone case could go, from Steve Vladeck of the University of Texas School of Law:
Here we go again:
Four possible #mifepristone rulings from #SCOTUS today:
1) Grant stay pending appeal;
2) Deny stay pending appeal;
3) Weird mixed ruling; or
4) No ruling.
(1) means no change to mifepristone access anytime soon; (2)-(4) mean big changes starting Saturday.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1649386448619970560″,”id”:”1649386448619970560″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”f1af1f0c-ab4c-4962-b819-807326115f25″}}”>
Here we go again:
Four possible #mifepristone rulings from #SCOTUS today:
1) Grant stay pending appeal;
2) Deny stay pending appeal;
3) Weird mixed ruling; or
4) No ruling.
(1) means no change to mifepristone access anytime soon; (2)-(4) mean big changes starting Saturday.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023
It’s also *possible* that Justice Alito extends the administrative stay *again* (what happened on Wednesday), but that seems exceedingly unlikely.
One way or the other, I expect that we get something from the full Court today—although *when* and *what* is anyone’s guess.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1649386956252663809″,”id”:”1649386956252663809″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”fbb84bba-0f8f-4df7-9a03-a6621cd8594e”}}”>
It’s also *possible* that Justice Alito extends the administrative stay *again* (what happened on Wednesday), but that seems exceedingly unlikely.
One way or the other, I expect that we get something from the full Court today—although *when* and *what* is anyone’s guess.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023
And a reminder of how this complex case reached this point, from the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino:
Earlier this month, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal judge in Texas, declared that the FDA improperly approved the drug in 2000, in effect saying it should be pulled from the market even where abortion remains legal.
The Biden administration appealed to a federal court, where a divided three-judge panel said mifepristone could remain available but imposed several barriers to how the drug is accessed and administered.
Following the appellate ruling, the justice department sought emergency relief from the supreme court, asking the justices to block a lower court ruling that would have sharply curtailed access to the pill by reversing a series of regulatory actions on mifepristone that the FDA loosened, beginning in 2016.
The pause gives the justices additional time to study arguments and consider the restrictions ordered by the lower court, which include limiting mifepristone use after seven weeks of pregnancy – it is currently approved through 10 weeks – and banning delivery by mail.
If the justices allow the appeals court ruling to stand, the Biden administration has argued, it would dramatically limit the accessibility of mifepristone for both women seeking it and providers dispensing it, causing chaos.
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Here’s what else is going on today:
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Joe Biden could as soon as next Tuesday officially announce plans to run for a second term in the White House.
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A top adviser to Donald Trump is sitting for an interview with special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors for the second day in a row.
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Hunter Biden could be charged with four federal crimes, some of which are felonies, according to a report.
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Republicans love Trump and Democrats are willing to put up with Biden: Those are the conclusions from a pair of new public opinion polls.
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Who had the worst week in Washington? It might be Florida governor Ron DeSantis.
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Joe Biden’s plan to run for a second term as president has been the worst-kept secret in Washington for months, but as the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly reports, Biden is reportedly planning to soon put an end to the speculation with a formal announcement:
“,”elementId”:”c83aa737-a5ca-4c18-ac62-8ae0a49c9156″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Joe Biden is preparing to announce his bid for re-election as soon as Tuesday, the anniversary of the launch of the 2020 campaign that put him in the White House, multiple news outlets reported.
“,”elementId”:”b01a34c5-2af0-4e33-bb49-410f0f96216b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The president has long and clearly signalled that he intends to seek re-election. Last week, he said he would launch his campaign “relatively soon”.
“,”elementId”:”3487a47e-3d42-4f94-8f0b-cda56dccff9e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
But as he is the oldest president ever inaugurated, and will be 82 on inauguration day in 2025 and 86 by the end of a second term, questions have persisted about his hunger and fitness to run.
“,”elementId”:”d52516a0-da53-4f01-8caf-cd6cf209d9b8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Republicans have sought to make an issue of Biden’s age, despite the clear leader in the GOP presidential primary, Donald Trump, being only four years younger.
“,”elementId”:”ac1ccf0c-57c5-4bdf-ad08-199fbadb2fc5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/20/biden-may-announce-2024-presidential-run-next-week”,”text”:”Biden reportedly preparing to announce 2024 re-election bid on Tuesday”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”role”:”thumbnail”,”elementId”:”f8e11043-2b46-4b65-8dfd-7fc534276c8e”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1682100939000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.15 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1682101713000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”14.28 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1682101067000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.17 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.17″,”title”:”Biden may announce re-election campaign next week: report”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Fri 21 Apr 2023 16.00 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Fri 21 Apr 2023 09.05 EDT”},{“id”:”6442c8cd8f08155e59b76421″,”elements”:[{[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
We’re awaiting potential supreme court action on a petition from the justice department challenging a federal appeals panel’s reimposition of restrictions on mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion. A stay of the appeals court’s ruling expires today at midnight, and it’s possible the justices will before then announce an action that restricts access to the drug, or keeps it as is. The decision could come at any time.
“,”elementId”:”c9962c88-737c-4986-a430-b31a6a3bb7ec”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Here’s what else is going on today:
“,”elementId”:”cc584f23-0f12-4a47-8ae4-52dbb0e51439″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
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A top adviser to Donald Trump is sitting for an interview with special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors for a second day.
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Hunter Biden could be charged with four federal crimes, some of which are felonies, according to a report.
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Republicans love Trump and Democrats are willing to put up with Biden: Those are the conclusions from a pair of new public opinion polls.
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Boris Epshteyn, a top adviser to Donald Trump, is being questioned for a second day by special counsel Jack Smith’s office, ABC News reports.
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Prosecutors for Smith, who has been tasked with investigating Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election, involvement in the January 6 insurrection and possession of classified documents, spoke to Epshteyn yesterday, and ABC says today’s questioning was pre-arranged. Smith reportedly sat in for yesterday’s interview, but did not ask any questions.
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Here’s more from ABC about what prosecutors are hoping to learn:
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The interview was largely focused on the efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. The second day of questioning was planned in advance, the sources said.
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Epshteyn did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
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Prosecutors’ questions focused around Epshteyn’s interactions with former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Kenneth Chesebro and John Eastman, in addition to Trump himself, according to sources.
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Smith was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s handling of classified information after leaving the White House.
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Epshteyn was not questioned in the probe into Trump’s handling of classified documents, sources said.
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It’s possible that today ends with a supreme court decision allowing abortion medication mifepristone to stay available at pharmacies nationwide. Or, the court’s conservative majority could again display its willingness to throttle reproductive care access and allow an appeals court decision reimposing restrictions on the drug to go into effect.
“,”elementId”:”ea1bc2eb-7d7f-4753-ae69-2369b7270051″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Here’s a look at four ways the ruling on the mifepristone case could go, from Steve Vladeck of the University of Texas School of Law:
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Here we go again:
Four possible #mifepristone rulings from #SCOTUS today:
1) Grant stay pending appeal;
2) Deny stay pending appeal;
3) Weird mixed ruling; or
4) No ruling.
(1) means no change to mifepristone access anytime soon; (2)-(4) mean big changes starting Saturday.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023
n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1649386448619970560″,”id”:”1649386448619970560″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”c8a0295a-5baf-4b1c-87f9-1c5bd27fb562″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement”,”html”:”
It’s also *possible* that Justice Alito extends the administrative stay *again* (what happened on Wednesday), but that seems exceedingly unlikely.
One way or the other, I expect that we get something from the full Court today—although *when* and *what* is anyone’s guess.
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) April 21, 2023
n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1649386956252663809″,”id”:”1649386956252663809″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”cdfe693e-8857-490b-9154-6c94cbcaa6cb”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
And a reminder of how this complex case reached this point, from the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino:
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Earlier this month, Matthew Kacsmaryk, a federal judge in Texas, declared that the FDA improperly approved the drug in 2000, in effect saying it should be pulled from the market even where abortion remains legal.
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The Biden administration appealed to a federal court, where a divided thr