The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case concerning the accessibility of the abortion drug mifepristone, which was initially approved by the FDA but suspended by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in April 2020. The Biden administration and the maker of the drug are appealing to the Supreme Court to reverse the appellate ruling, which would impose restrictions on the drug, even in states where abortion remains legal. This is the first abortion case since the court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, and could have a significant impact on the accessibility of mifepristone and other abortion drugs.
Posts tagged as “Matthew Kacsmaryk”
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FDA failed to address safety concerns when it made the abortion pill mifepristone easier to obtain in 2016. The ruling is a win for abortion opponents, who argued that the FDA’s alterations to the drug’s disbursement regime in 2016 qualified as “reopening” the question of its initial approval. The court said that mifepristone should remain available under the rules that were in place from 2000 to 2016, which will likely have a significant impact on the availability of the drug.
Key takeaways: The Supreme Court has paused lower court rulings that would have imposed restrictions on mifepristone. This ruling keeps the drug accessible while the…
A federal judge in West Virginia has denied a request from Republican officials to pause a lawsuit from a maker of mifepristone. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, had failed to disclose two interviews on a Christian radio show where he discussed his extremist views on contraception and gay rights. The case is now pending at the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and questions have been raised about Kacsmaryk's impartiality and ability to make unbiased rulings.
The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision Wednesday on a request by the federal government to immediately block a lower court ruling that would restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The case originated in Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s court in Amarillo, Texas, and the outcome of this decision could have a major impact on access to mifepristone and the ability of women to make decisions about their own reproductive health. The Department of Justice has appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the appeals court ruling while the justices consider what next steps to take.
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that would have put a pause on the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, a medicine used in two-step medication abortions. This decision will allow for nationwide access to mifepristone to be preserved until Wednesday, when the justices will consider next steps. Abortion clinics are readying contingency plans in case mifepristone's FDA approval is overturned.
The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in an emergency dispute over a Texas judge's ruling which prevents pregnant women from obtaining the key abortion drug mifepristone by mail. The Justice Department argues that the ruling countermands the FDA's scientific judgment and would make it more difficult for women to access the drug, particularly in rural areas. The Supreme Court has yet to respond to the motion, which if accepted, would put the lower court ruling on hold and allow women to continue to access the drug by mail.
A federal appeals court has partially granted a request to freeze parts of a Texas judge’s order that would have suspended the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a medication abortion drug, mifepristone. The court’s order will keep the approval in effect and the drug on the market while an expedited appeal plays out, but under tighter rules that would allow the drug only to be dispensed up to seven weeks, not 10, and not by mail. The decision is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.