Breaking: Supreme Court Won't Revive Arizona's 20-Week Abortion Ban

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

COURT WON'T REVIVE ARIZONA'S 20-WEEK ABORTION BAN
Jan. 13, 2014 9:42 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected Arizona's bid to put in place its ban on most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The justices on Monday declined to reconsider a lower court ruling that the law violates a woman's constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy before a fetus is able to survive outside the womb.

"Viability" of a fetus is generally considered to start at 24 weeks. Normal pregnancies run about 40 weeks.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed the ban into law in April 2012. Nine other states have enacted similar bans starting at 20 weeks or even earlier.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/court-wont-revive-arizonas-20-week-abortion-ban

[Stuart G]

1. "Good by" - other states 20 week abortion laws..k and r..nt

[TlalocW]

8. Unfortunately, I don't think that's the case

The other states' laws will have to reach the same level - Court of Appeals for whatever district the state is in (is that right, DU legal-eagles?), and the situation could be changed from the group making the appeal being for the law (anti-choice) to being against the law. And then there's no guarantee that if that were the case, we also would get 4 justices to vote for hearing the appeal and no guarantee that if they did the Court would rule in "our favor." Hell, there's no guarantee that if the exact situation came up that the same thing would happen again - the Court could decide to hear it, maybe seeing something slightly different from previous cases, etc.

TlalocW

[CTyankee]

2. I didn't see in the story how the individual justices voted. Do they publish that?

[cosmicone]

3. At least 4 justices have to agree to hear the case

obviously, at least 6 didn't want to hear it. Info about which justices is never published as far as I know.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. $100 says the three Justices who wanted to hear it were

Scalia, Thomas and Alito.

[CTyankee]

6. if so, that means roberts voted against it...interesting...

do you think he was just reinforcing stare decisus?

[Kelvin Mace]

7. Perhaps, but I also think

he is not as obsessed with it as the other three. He also seems more concerned with his place in history and is already a major villain over Citizens United.

[The Stranger]

13. He doesn't know what it is, apparently.

He should ask Harvard Law School for his money back.

[iandhr]

4. When the justices "declined to reconsider a lower court ruling"....

... I don't think so. But I could be wrong.

[CTyankee]

15. I hope this is a clear signal that there is no majority on the Court to overturn Roe.

[jsr]

9. Does this apply only to the 9th Circuit?

[uppityperson]

10. What about Texas?

[jsr]

12. No change for Texas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/us/supreme-court-wont-hear-arizona-appeal-on-abortion-ban.html

Arizona is one of 12 states that have tried to ban most abortions at 20 weeks based on the theory of fetal pain. But the other 11 states have set the threshold at 20 weeks after fertilization, which is about two weeks later into a pregnancy than Arizona’s cutoff, but still earlier than fetal viability. Such laws have been struck down in Georgia and Idaho but remain in effect in nine states where they have not been challenged in court including, most recently, Texas.

[dbackjon]

11. good news

[santamargarita]

14. The wicked witch of Arizona probably fell off her broom...

when she got that news.