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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,884 posts)
Sat Mar 28, 2020, 07:04 AM Mar 2020

Court refuses to allow Trump administration's abortion referral restrictions to take effect in Md.

Legal Issues

Court refuses to allow Trump administration’s abortion referral restrictions to take effect in Md.

By Ann E. Marimow
March 27, 2020 at 5:35 p.m. EDT

A federal appeals court refused to clear the way Friday for a Trump administration policy that bars federally funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions.

The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit applies only to Maryland and means it is the one state not subject to the abortion restrictions opponents say reduce access to reproductive health care for low-income women.

In a brief unsigned order, the appeals court denied the Trump administration’s request to allow the policy to remain in effect in Maryland while the case is pending. In a separate order, the court also took the unusual step of agreeing to hear the initial appeal in the matter sitting with a full complement of judges — instead of the usual three-judge panel.

The decision from the Richmond-based court, which reviews appeals from Maryland, is at odds with a decision from the California-based federal appeals court, which allowed the policy to take effect throughout the country. The contradictory rulings from two different courts suggest that the Supreme Court could settle the disagreement.

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Ann Marimow
Ann Marimow covers legal affairs for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2005 and has covered state government and politics in California, New Hampshire and Maryland. Follow https://twitter.com/amarimow
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