�������ýҕ�l

The Texas judge who could undo government approval of a key abortion drug has scheduled the first hearing in the case for Wednesday but took unusual steps to keep it from being publicized, according to people familiar with the plans. The hearing will be an opportunity for lawyers for the Justice Department, the company that makes the drug and the conservative group that is challenging it to argue their positions before U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. After they do, the judge could rule at any time, potentially upending access to medication abortions across the country. (Stein, Marimow and Kitchener, 3/12)

Judge Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee who has written critically about Roe v. Wade and previously worked for a Christian conservative legal organization, told lawyers in a conference call Friday that he did not want the March 15 hearing to be “disrupted,” and that he wanted all parties involved to share their points in an orderly fashion, according to people familiar with the discussion. The judge also said that court staff had faced security issues, including death threats, and that the measure was intended to keep the court proceedings safe. (Benner and Belluck, 3/12)

A Texas man is suing three women under the wrongful death statute, alleging that they assisted his ex-wife in terminating her pregnancy, the first such case brought since the state’s near-total ban on abortion last summer. Marcus Silva is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former Texas solicitor general and architect of the state’s prohibition on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, and state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park. (Klibanoff, 3/10)

The Maryland House voted Friday to enshrine the right to abortion in the state Constitution, one of several steps lawmakers are taking this legislative session to protect abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. The House voted 99-37 for the constitutional amendment, which also is advancing in the state Senate. If the measure passes the General Assembly, voters would have a chance to approve it in November 2024. (White, 3/10)

Thousands of people have traveled to Florida from as far away as Texas to end their pregnancies since the Supreme Court dismantled Roe v. Wade in June — and Republicans want to put a stop to it. Florida Republicans, who hold supermajorities in the Legislature, proposed a ban last week on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — or two weeks after someone misses their period — and with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ support, passage is almost guaranteed. (Sarkissian, 3/12)

With bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy in nearby Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and a ban on terminating pregnancies in Georgia after cardiac activity can be detected — around six weeks - Florida has become a haven for people in the region seeking abortions. A ban at the gestational age of six weeks would mean fewer women traveling to Florida for abortions and more looking at going even further away, to places including North Carolina and Illinois. ... There would also be an impact for Florida residents. Nationally, only about 4% of abortions occur after the 15-week mark, but most of them happen after 6 weeks and 6 days. (Mulvihill and Izaguirre, 3/10)

A federal judge on Friday allowed North Carolina lawmakers to defend restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, after the state attorney general declined to do so. (Kimball, 3/10)

Conservative talk radio host Glenn Beck has acquired the archives of Linda Coffee, the last living member of the legal team that argued Roe v. Wade. “Roe vs. Wade is history, and now that history is in the hands of a pro-life conservative,” Beck said on his radio show Thursday. Coffee, 80, put the archive up for auction through an independent auction house earlier this year, with a starting bid of $50,000. There were 14 bids, the auction house’s website said. Beck won with a bid of more than $600,000. (Klibanoff, 3/10)