Abortion - The Indiana Lawyer

Thomas spoke, Roberts ruled in unusual Supreme Court term

July 13, 2020

Justice Clarence Thomas spoke and Chief Justice John Roberts ruled. The US Supreme Court’s most unusual term featured victories for immigrants, abortion rights, LGBTQ workers and religious freedoms. The usually quiet Thomas’ baritone was heard by the whole world when the coronavirus outbreak upended the court’s traditional way of doing business. When the biggest decisions were handed down, the chief justice was almost always in the majority and dictated the reach of the court’s most controversial cases, whether they were won by the left or the right.

Sykes becomes chief judge of 7th Circuit

July 9, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

Diane Sykes, who has often been mentioned as a possible nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, has become the chief judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, assuming the leadership position July 5.

Court strikes Indiana ‘abortion complications’ reporting law

July 9, 2020 | Olivia Covington

A federal judge has struck down another Indiana abortion law as unconstitutional, continuing a years-long streak of court action against Hoosier abortion legislation. However, the state also secured a victory when the same judge upheld a requirement that abortion clinics be inspected annually.

Indiana GOP AG candidates speak out before ballots come in

July 7, 2020 | Associated Press

Indiana’s Republican delegates are casting ballots as the time nears to select who will run for state attorney general in November.

Indiana report says abortions dropped 5% in state last year

July 6, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

The number of abortions performed in Indiana fell by about 5% last year, according to a new state health department report.

SCOTUS denies cert petition against South Bend abortion clinic

July 2, 2020 | Katie Stancombe

U.S. Supreme Court justices rejected a third Indiana abortion case on Thursday, refusing to hear a petition filed against an embattled South Bend abortion clinic that was permitted by a federal judge to open last summer.

SCOTUS remands 2 Indiana abortion cases, won’t hear ‘buffer zone’ challenges

July 2, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday remanded to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals two lawsuits challenging Indiana laws restricting abortions, leaving undisturbed for now lower court rulings striking down state laws that would have required stricter ultrasound measures and parental notification for mature minors.

Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion clinic law

June 29, 2020 | Associated Press

A divided Supreme Court on Monday struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics, reasserting a commitment to abortion rights over fierce opposition from dissenting conservative justices in the first big abortion case of the Trump era.

AG Hill files brief arguing states can deny Medicaid status to abortion clinics

April 30, 2020 | Katie Stancombe

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is arguing in a Supreme Court amicus brief that states have the rightful authority to deny abortion clinics the status of being Medicaid providers.

Essential or non-essential? Lawyers scrambling to provide COVID-19 guidance

April 15, 2020 | Olivia Covington

Though they don’t have all the answers, legal professionals are being looked to for guidance as clients navigate their new realities.

ACLU not planning suit to block fetal remains bill

April 14, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

Indiana’s new fetal remains law, which provides for burial or cremation following an abortion, will likely not face a legal challenged in contrast to a similar provision in a 2016 state law that was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Texas clinics ask Supreme Court to allow certain abortions

April 14, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

Abortion clinics in Texas have asked the Supreme Court to step in to allow certain abortions to continue during the coronavirus pandemic. The clinics filed an emergency motion on Saturday asking the justices to overturn a lower-court order and allow abortions when they can be performed using medication.

AG Hill leads fight to preserve fetal tissue ban

April 10, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

The coronavirus crisis has renewed the battle over fetal tissue research, with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill leading the effort to preserve the ban on federal funding.

ACLU: Indiana virus directive should not restrict abortions

April 2, 2020 | Associated Press

Gov. Eric Holcomb’s directive calling for all Indiana health care facilities to cancel or postpone non-urgent surgical procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic should not restrict the ability of women to obtain abortions, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana said Wednesday.

Indiana restricting abortion clinics during pandemic

March 31, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl and Associated Press

As Gov. Eric Holcomb issued an executive order Monday that includes banning “elective and non-urgent” procedures at abortion clinics in Indiana during the COVID-19 emergency, federal judges were blocking similar measures in other states.

Schumer: I ‘should not have used’ critical words on justices

March 6, 2020 | Associated Press

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday he “should not have used the words I used” when he declared at a rally in front of the Supreme Court that two justices would “pay the price” for their decision in an abortion case.

Roberts chides Schumer for ‘dangerous’ remarks on 2 justices

March 5, 2020 | Associated Press

Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday criticized as “inappropriate” and “dangerous” comments that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer made outside the Supreme Court earlier in the day about Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

Supreme Court divided in 1st big abortion case of Trump era

March 5, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

A seemingly divided Supreme Court struggled Wednesday with its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote.

Indiana ordered to pay $182K in abortion case attorney fees

February 26, 2020 | Olivia Covington

The state of Indiana is on the hook for more than $182,000 in attorney fees and costs related to a long-fought legal battle over a controversial abortion law that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Fetal remains bill heading to House floor

February 24, 2020 | Marilyn Odendahl

The Indiana House of Representatives was scheduled to hear a bill Monday that deals with the disposal of fetal remains, building on a similar provision in an abortion law the state passed in 2016 and was subsequently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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