Texas Supreme Court has allowed a new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, making Texas the most populous state with such restrictions. The law will prevent transgender minors from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition surgeries. LGBTQ rights advocates have criticized the ruling and vowed to continue to fight the law in court.
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has disclosed trips paid for by his friend, billionaire Harlan Crow, in his annual financial disclosure report. This has renewed focus on judicial ethics, as it is the first disclosure form filed by the justice since he came under scrutiny for his relationship with the Texas developer. The remaining seven justices have filed their 2022 reports, but it is unclear if any of them have had similar trips paid for by outside sources.
Over 100 former clerks of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas have signed a letter defending his "integrity" and "independence" in response to reports of unethical gift-giving. The signatories argue that the reports are part of a "larger attack on the Court" and its "legitimacy", and include high profile circuit court judges and John C. Eastman, who is now criminally indicted in Georgia. The letter focuses on defending Justice Thomas' "integrity, character and ethics" without addressing Eastman's involvement.
The South Carolina Supreme Court has reversed its stance on abortion, upholding a law that bans most such procedures after about six weeks of pregnancy. This decision has been met with criticism from abortion rights advocates, who argue that the law is unconstitutional and violates a woman's right to privacy. The 4-1 ruling departs from the court's own decision months earlier striking down a similar ban, and could potentially be overturned if it is found to violate the constitutional right to privacy.
A federal appeals court has upheld parts of a decision limiting access to the widely used abortion pill, mifepristone. The ruling agreed with a lower court that the Food and Drug Administration's moves since 2016 to relax the rules for mifepristone's use should be reversed, but declined to suspend the underlying approval of the medication. The decision is a victory for abortion opponents, but the Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision and the case is expected to continue to make its way through the courts.
House Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have called for an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for failing to disclose gifts and benefits from wealthy, politically active executives. The letter cites criticism from other members of Congress and calls for an investigation into Thomas’s actions, suggesting that if the court won’t reform itself, Congress should step in. The controversy has sparked a debate about ethics reform on the Supreme Court, and it remains to be seen whether the Attorney General will launch an investigation.
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the state's ban on assault weapons, overturning a lower court decision. The ban prohibits the sale or possession of certain semiautomatic weapons, including AR-15s and AK-47s, as well as large-capacity magazines. The ruling is a victory for gun control advocates and remains in effect in Illinois, though it is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Key takeaways: The Supreme Court has put a hold on the bankruptcy reorganization of opioid maker Purdue Pharma. The Biden administration objected to a key…