California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a profanity-laced attack on Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill this week, escalating an already bitter legal clash over abortion enforcement and states’ rights.
The dispute centers on Louisiana’s effort to prosecute doctors who allegedly mailed abortion medication into the state, and Newsom’s refusal to cooperate with extradition requests tied to those cases. Murrill announced last month that Louisiana had issued an arrest warrant for Dr. Remy Coeytaux, a physician living in Sonoma County, California, accusing him of mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana woman who ordered them online after learning she was pregnant in 2023.
Coeytaux has been charged under Louisiana law with “Criminal Abortion by Means of Abortion-Inducing Drugs.” Louisiana officials argue the alleged conduct violates state law and warrants prosecution, regardless of where the doctor resides.
Murrill has also signaled plans to sue New York, where Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has similarly refused to extradite a physician. Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who lives in New York, was indicted in Louisiana last year for allegedly mailing abortion medication to a teenager. Like Coeytaux, Carpenter faces charges under the same criminal abortion statute.
In a sharply worded statement Thursday, Murrill accused both Newsom and Hochul of defying constitutional obligations. She argued that neither governor is above the Constitution and said Supreme Court precedent makes clear that states cannot simply ignore extradition requests from other states.
“The Supreme Court’s precedents on important Constitutional provisions like the Extradition Clause and the Full Faith and Credit Clause forbid this assault on Louisiana’s sovereignty and her citizens,” Murrill said, vowing to hold the governors accountable.
Newsom responded within hours, taking to social media with an incendiary message. He confirmed Louisiana’s plan to sue him and made clear he has no intention of backing down.
“Louisiana plans to sue me because I won’t extradite a doctor for providing an abortion,” Newsom wrote, followed by a vulgar insult directed at Murrill. He added that California would never assist efforts to criminalize what he described as healthcare.
The confrontation follows earlier sparring between the states. Last month, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he would seek Coeytaux’s extradition from California. Newsom responded tersely, stating that Louisiana’s request was denied.
California’s refusal is rooted in state law. In 2023, Democratic lawmakers passed a telemedicine abortion shield law designed to protect doctors in California from prosecution by other states over abortion-related care. The law explicitly prohibits the extradition of individuals accused of violating abortion laws in other states.
New York has adopted a similar approach. Its shield law was amended last year to strengthen protections for patients and providers involved in reproductive and gender-affirming care, further limiting cooperation with out-of-state prosecutions.
The growing standoff highlights deepening tensions between red and blue states in the post-Roe landscape, with conservative states seeking to enforce abortion bans beyond their borders and progressive states openly defying those efforts. As Louisiana prepares legal action, the fight is shaping up as a broader test of constitutional authority, state sovereignty, and how far states can go in shielding residents from the laws of their neighbors.
[READ MORE: Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher Torch Schumer’s Voter ID Rhetoric, Warn Democrats of Trump Trap]
