Texas was seeking an emergency court stay on Tuesday to reverse a federal judge’s ruling that blocked part its tough new anti-abortion law.
The ruling Monday blocked some of the country’s toughest abortion restrictions in the country, which would have gone into effect on Tuesday. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse the decision that held those restrictions unconstitutional, the Texas Tribune reports. The tough new regulations would likely have led to the closure of abortion clinics in rural parts of the state and stricter controls on when and how a woman can obtain an abortion.
Abbott is the leading Republican candidate for governor against Democratic candidate Wendy Davis, who entered the national spotlight earlier this year when, as a state senator, she led a filibuster that briefly delayed passage of the abortion law. The state Senate later passed the bill.