Before the Supreme Court determines whether to grant a formal stay, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. reportedly ordered an interim stay on Friday to ensure that a popular abortion medication will continue to be readily accessible. The temporary stay will end on Wednesday at Midnight.
Such a stay does not foretell the justices’ eventual decision; rather, it preserves the status quo while they review the briefs and decisions of the lower courts.
The organizations contesting the Food and Drug Administration’s clearance of the tablet were required to submit their brief by Tuesday at noon, according to Judge Alito, the court official in charge of supervising the appeals court whose decision is in question.
The action was taken in response to an emergency application the Biden administration submitted Friday morning requesting the justices to get involved.
As the first significant abortion issue to reach the justices since they abolished the constitutional right to an abortion in June, the administration urged the court to put on hold certain portions of an appeals court decision that had restricted the availability of the medication mifepristone.
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