- On Monday, the Supreme Court struck down a Lousiana law restricting abortion access in a 5-4 decision. Chief Justice John Roberts, who also penned a separate concurring opinion, joined the Court’s liberal wing. [ABC News / Alexandra Svokos]
- The case — June Medical Services v. Russo — is a major win for abortion rights advocates, many of whom had feared that a more conservative Court would uphold the Louisiana law and undercut Roe v. Wade. [LA Times / David G. Savage]
- The law in question, which mandated that all abortion providers in Louisiana have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, is what is known as a TRAP law: a targeted restriction on abortion providers that makes it harder for those providers to operate. [The Cut / Hannah Gold]
- Though it was passed in 2014, the Louisiana law never went into effect. It was first blocked by a district court judge before being upheld by the Fifth Circuit; the Supreme Court again put the law on hold while it considered the case. [NPR / Nina Totenberg and Brian Naylor]
- While Monday’s decision is good news for abortion rights, it doesn’t mean that Roe is safe. As Vox’s Ian Millhiser writes, Roberts’s opinion is “laden with hints that, in a future case, he is likely to vote to restrict — or even eliminate — the constitutional right to an abortion.” [Vox / Ian Millhiser]
- The Supreme Court also handed down another influential decision Monday. In Seila Law v. CFPB, the Court decided 5-4 that the president has the power to unilaterally fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at will. [NYT / Adam Liptak]
- When the agency was established following the 2008 financial crisis, it was designed to operate independently. Monday’s decision attenuates that independence, but allows the agency to continue its works rather than striking it down outright. [Roll Call / Todd Ruger and Jim Saksa]
- The Court also passed up a major case Monday when it turned down an appeal regarding the federal death penalty. The decision clears the way for executions to resume for the first time since 2003 under new Justice Department policy. [Washington Post / Robert Barnes and Mark Berman]
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