It’s just the latest legal setback for Louisiana’s abortion ban, which was temporarily blocked last month by a state judge. The state attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to step in, and it sent it back to the lower courts. There, a different judge, Ethel S. Julien, ruled Friday that the New Orleans court did not have the authority to stop the law as the case moved to Baton Rouge state court. The move cleared the way for the state’s enabling law to be implemented immediately and prevented abortion clinics from operating in the state. The abortion ban remained in place pending Tuesday’s ruling by Baton Rouge District Judge Donald Johnson. The Center for Reproductive Rights, one of the judges in the case, asked the Baton Rouge court to permanently block the bans. “This is an incredible relief for people who need abortion care right now in Louisiana. Abortion care in the state can continue today and further irreparable harm has been avoided,” said Jenny Ma, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights. statement on Tuesday. “Our work continues and we now look forward to our hearing on Monday where we will ask the judge to permanently block the bans.” Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, meanwhile, tweeted from his verified account Tuesday that “the people of Louisiana have spoken directly at the ballot box and through the elected legislature time and time again – not only legislatively but constitutionally ». “To create a legal circus out of the judiciary is disappointing and one that discredits the institutions we rely on for a stable society,” Landry said. “The rule of law must be upheld and I will not rest until it is. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a little longer for that to happen.” The Supreme Court’s majority decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established a federal right to abortion, led states like Louisiana to implement their own abortion laws. The Supreme Court’s decision, as expected, has already led to a patchwork system across the country, in which access to due process is determined, for many people, largely by whether a state is controlled by Republicans or Democrats.
