A Louisiana judge temporarily blocked the state's 'trigger' abortion ban after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade
- A judge in Louisiana temporarily blocked the state's "trigger" abortion laws.
- An abortion provider in the state challenged the new abortion bans.
A Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily blocked an abortion ban in the state that swiftly took effect after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights and gave states the authority to make their own abortion laws on Friday.
The district court's ruling came after an abortion provider in Louisiana filed a lawsuit against the Republican-led state's new "trigger" laws, which would make nearly all abortions in the state illegal.
Hope Medical Group for Women, one of three abortion providers in Louisiana, said the ban was vague and lacked "constitutionally required safeguards to prevent arbitrary enforcement," Reuters reported.
The judge set a July 8 hearing date for the case, according to a court order.
Louisiana is one of 13 states in the country with so-called trigger laws to restrict abortion that would take effect in case of a possible overruling of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide almost 50 years ago.
With the Supreme Court tossing out Roe on Friday, those states have moved to enforce the bans, but some have faced legal challenges, such as Louisiana. Legal experts say that lawsuits against new abortion restrictions may fail since the Supreme Court handed over decision-making power to the states.
The Supreme Court's ruling has upended constitutionally protected abortion rights and is expected to create a messy patchwork of laws across the country, with nearly half of the states imposing restrictions on the procedure or banning it completely.