LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A judge in Kentucky temporarily blocked that state’s near-total ban on abortions Thursday, while a Florida judge said he would temporarily stop a 15-week ban from taking effect there, as judges across the country weigh whether state constitutions permit the procedure after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week.
The ruling in Kentucky pauses that state’s so-called trigger law, which was designed to take effect after the nation’s highest court ruled to end federal constitutional protections for abortions. The case reflects battles being waged in courts across the country after the Supreme Court left it up to the states to decide whether abortion is legal within their borders - forcing abortion rights groups to turn to state constitutions for protection.