Texas Supreme Court rejects attempt to block beach closures for SpaceX launches
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court rejects attempt to block beach closures for SpaceX launchesThe state constitution preserves public access to Texas beaches, but it doesn't give private groups the right to sue to enforce that access, the court ruled.
Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting
Read full article: Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistrictingThe Texas Supreme Court has refused to declare that Democratic state lawmakers who briefly left the state last year in a quorum break to stop a vote on new congressional voting maps pushed by President Donald Trump vacated their offices.
Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbottās request to remove Democratic Rep. Gene Wu from office over redistricting protest
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court rejects Abbottās request to remove Democratic Rep. Gene Wu from office over redistricting protestMore than 50 Democrats, including Wu ā the House Democratic leader ā left the state last August to shut down the Legislature and stall passage of the GOPās map.
Whatās next for the Texas hemp industry after court ruling on Delta-8 THC?
Read full article: Whatās next for the Texas hemp industry after court ruling on Delta-8 THC?In the latest series of zigs and zags on hemp regulation, the Texas Supreme Court has paved the way for the Texas Department of State Health Services to ban an alternative form of THC that helped kickstart the stateās $5.5 billion consumable hemp industry.
Texas shops can still sell smokeable hemp THC until July 27, judge rules
Read full article: Texas shops can still sell smokeable hemp THC until July 27, judge rulesA Travis County district judge has allowed the sale of natural smokeable hemp products, such as flower buds and rolled joints, to continue until July 27.
Texas child abuse investigations over gender-affirming care no longer blocked
Read full article: Texas child abuse investigations over gender-affirming care no longer blockedThe Texas Supreme Court lifted temporary injunctions protecting three families and members of PFLAG, Inc., after CPS cases were dropped.
Texas Supreme Court ends lawsuits against power generators over 2021 winter storm
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court ends lawsuits against power generators over 2021 winter stormTens of thousands of residents and small businesses sought damages from power generators after losing electricity during the storm that resulted in billions in losses and 246 deaths.
Abbott legal brief criticizes Paxtonās rushed lawsuit against Harris Countyās immigrant legal fund
Read full article: Abbott legal brief criticizes Paxtonās rushed lawsuit against Harris Countyās immigrant legal fundāPerhaps the Attorney General only recently learned of this program; perhaps the officeās attention was focused elsewhere,ā lawyers for Abbott wrote, noting the fund has existed for five years.
Legal fight over SpaceX beach closures hits Texas Supreme Court
Read full article: Legal fight over SpaceX beach closures hits Texas Supreme CourtThe justices are considering the constitutionality of a 2013 law in a lawsuit brought by environmentalist and indigenous groups against the General Land Office and Cameron County.
For Texasā highest courts, two Democratic races decided, one GOP race goes to runoff
Read full article: For Texasā highest courts, two Democratic races decided, one GOP race goes to runoffMaggie Ellis and Kristen Hawkins win Texas Supreme Court Dem primaries. John Messinger wins his GOP race for Court of Criminal Appeals, while Alison Fox and Thomas Smith head to a runoff.
Supreme Court orders Dallas County to separate votes; Williamson County extends hours
Read full article: Supreme Court orders Dallas County to separate votes; Williamson County extends hoursThe Texas Supreme Court late Tuesday ordered Dallas County to separate any votes cast by voters who were not in line by 7 p.m., temporarily blocking a district court judgeās order for the polls to remain open.
Supreme Court orders Dallas County to separate votes; Williamson County extends hours
Read full article: Supreme Court orders Dallas County to separate votes; Williamson County extends hoursThe Texas Supreme Court late Tuesday ordered Dallas County to separate any votes cast by voters who were not in line by 7 p.m., temporarily blocking a district court judgeās order for the polls to remain open.
Texas 15th Court of Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to know
Read full article: Texas 15th Court of Appeals primaries: Who is running and what to knowVoters statewide elect three justices to the new 15th Court of Appeals, created in 2023. Gov. Greg Abbottās GOP appointees face their first election for six-year terms.
Texas Supreme Court primaries: Who is running and what to know
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court primaries: Who is running and what to knowThe high court, currently made up entirely of Republicans, decides some of the most consequential cases impacting everyday Texansā lives. Hereās a look at whoās running for the courtās four seats on the 2026 ballot.
Texas law schools no longer required to be accredited by American Bar Association
Read full article: Texas law schools no longer required to be accredited by American Bar AssociationThe Texas Supreme Court ruled Texas law schools are no longer required to be accredited by the American Bar Association.
Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples asks federal courts to overturn right to gay marriage
Read full article: Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples asks federal courts to overturn right to gay marriageJudge Dianne Hensley, who has been fighting the state judicial oversight body since 2019, is hoping to tee up a new challenge to the U.S. Supreme Courtās Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
Paxtonās campaign against immigrant-serving groups gets boost from court rulings
Read full article: Paxtonās campaign against immigrant-serving groups gets boost from court rulingsCourts have said that the attorney general can use a 100-year-old law to demand entitiesā internal records and sue to shut them down if he believes theyāre violating the law.
After blocking redistricting map, Judge Jeffrey Brown draws fire from Texas Republicans who once praised him
Read full article: After blocking redistricting map, Judge Jeffrey Brown draws fire from Texas Republicans who once praised himUntil being labeled as the "radical left," Brown was widely supported by Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who previously hired him as his clerk. Abbott called the ruling āclearly erroneous.ā
Harris County immigrant legal services program paused as court battle continues
Read full article: Harris County immigrant legal services program paused as court battle continuesThe Texas Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Harris officials from financially supporting nonprofits that assist immigrants in deportation cases. The state is trying to permanently bar such programs.
Former Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins appointed to Texas Supreme Court
Read full article: Former Texas Solicitor General Kyle Hawkins appointed to Texas Supreme CourtHawkins spent two years as Texasā top appellate attorney, but resigned soon after not signing onto Attorney General Ken Paxtonās 2020 election challenge.
Renewed focus on Roberson case is latest in deluge of political pressure aimed at Texas judiciary
Read full article: Renewed focus on Roberson case is latest in deluge of political pressure aimed at Texas judiciaryThe latest calls to stave off the politically charged execution come after a summer where GOP leaders asked the state courts to kick Democrats out of office and throw Beto OāRourke in jail.
Ken Paxtonās legal crusade against Beto OāRourke is faltering before an all-Republican appeals court
Read full article: Ken Paxtonās legal crusade against Beto OāRourke is faltering before an all-Republican appeals courtThe court, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, recently allowed OāRourke to continue raising and dispersing donations, and cast doubt on Paxtonās main arguments.
Texas Supreme Court wonāt rule for weeks on GOP requests to expel Democrats who left the state
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court wonāt rule for weeks on GOP requests to expel Democrats who left the stateThe governor and attorney general have asked the court to find that Democratic lawmakers abandoned their seats when they left Texas to delay a new congressional map.
In redistricting clash, Texas GOP flexes power to shut down Democrats' last tool of resistance
Read full article: In redistricting clash, Texas GOP flexes power to shut down Democrats' last tool of resistanceSince Democratic lawmakers left Texas to delay Republicansā new map, state leaders have challenged the limits of traditional democratic norms to break the impasse.
Abbottās bid to expel the House Democratic leader goes to a court filled with his appointees
Read full article: Abbottās bid to expel the House Democratic leader goes to a court filled with his appointeesThe Texas Supreme Court said in 2021 the Constitution allows members to thwart legislation by leaving the state. Abbott wants them to reconsider.
Paxton launches investigation into Beto OāRourkeās political group for funding Democrats who left state
Read full article: Paxton launches investigation into Beto OāRourkeās political group for funding Democrats who left stateThe attorney general is also looking into the George Soros-backed Texas Majority PAC, which is playing a coordinating role to solicit donations from Democratic donors.
Gov. Greg Abbott, AG Ken Paxton do not have to release Uvalde or Jan. 6 emails, Texas Supreme Court rules
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott, AG Ken Paxton do not have to release Uvalde or Jan. 6 emails, Texas Supreme Court rulesThe decision, stemming from a 2022 lawsuit, narrows the publicās legal options to challenge Texas officials under the stateās open records law.
U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear GOP activistās lawsuit challenging Texas Ethics Commissionās lobbying fine
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear GOP activistās lawsuit challenging Texas Ethics Commissionās lobbying fineFormer Empower Texans leader Michael Quinn Sullivan has challenged a $10,000 fine from the Texas Ethics Commission for failure to register as a lobbyist for more than 10 years at nearly every level of the state court system.
Head of NAACP disinvited from speaking to Texas state bar over suit against Trump administration
Read full article: Head of NAACP disinvited from speaking to Texas state bar over suit against Trump administrationThe State Bar of Texas has rescinded a speaking invitation to the NAACPās president after the civil rights group challenged the Trump administrationās dismantling of the Education Department.
Texas Republican lawmakers unwilling to change abortion laws to address doomed pregnancies
Read full article: Texas Republican lawmakers unwilling to change abortion laws to address doomed pregnanciesFor the first time since Texas outlawed nearly all abortions, lawmakers are clarifying the ālife of motherā exception. But they donāt plan to address cases where the fetus wonāt survive.
New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail laws
Read full article: New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail lawsChief Justice Jimmy Blacklock embraced constitutional originalism, a judicial philosophy tied to conservatism, in addressing the Legislature.
How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect Texans
Read full article: How the Supreme Court of the United States and federal courts work and affect TexansHereās how federal courts help determine the fate of controversial issues, such as immigration laws, in Texas and beyond.
Texas Supreme Court dismisses state barās lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court dismisses state barās lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential electionThe state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment.
When is a business to blame for over-serving? Texas Supreme Court weighs the line in drunk driving case
Read full article: When is a business to blame for over-serving? Texas Supreme Court weighs the line in drunk driving caseThe courtās ruling could boost a state law that allows drunk driving victims to sue businesses that over-serve alcohol to intoxicated individuals.
Jimmy Blacklock named new chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court
Read full article: Jimmy Blacklock named new chief justice of the Texas Supreme CourtBlacklock replaces Nathan Hecht, the longest serving justice on the high court. Gov. Greg Abbott also appointed his general counsel, James Sullivan, to the bench.
Texas Supreme Court dismisses State Bar lawsuit against assistant attorney general
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court dismisses State Bar lawsuit against assistant attorney generalThe state bar sought to take away the law license of Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster over a Texas lawsuit challenging 2020 presidential election results.
As Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht prepares to retire, he reflects on the Supreme Court he helped change
Read full article: As Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht prepares to retire, he reflects on the Supreme Court he helped changeOver 35 years, Hecht modernized the court, increased access to justice for the poor and saw his conservative views come to dominate the bench.
Ken Paxton and Texas House members accuse each other of mischaracterizing Robert Robersonās case
Read full article: Ken Paxton and Texas House members accuse each other of mischaracterizing Robert Robersonās caseAfter the attorney general insisted on the death row inmateās guilt in a graphic press release, four lawmakers issued a point-by-point rebuttal.
After Roberson ruling, upcoming Court of Criminal Appeals election in the spotlight
Read full article: After Roberson ruling, upcoming Court of Criminal Appeals election in the spotlightThree of the five judges who allowed Robert Robersonās execution to proceed will be leaving the court after Paxton-backed primary challenges.
Texas was about to execute Robert Roberson. Then a last-ditch tactic bought him more time
Read full article: Texas was about to execute Robert Roberson. Then a last-ditch tactic bought him more timeRobert Roberson, who had been set to be the first person in the U.S. to be put to death for a murder conviction tied to a diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, had his execution delayed after a dramatic few hours of legal wrangling among three different Texas courts.
Texas Supreme Court temporarily stops Robert Robersonās execution
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court temporarily stops Robert Robersonās executionThe stateās highest civil court said it wants a lower court to resolve a separation-of-powers issue raised by a group of Texas lawmakers who subpoenaed the death row inmate the night before he was set to be put to death.
Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court?
Read full article: Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court?Three Republican incumbents are being targeted for their role in recent abortion rulings by a new Democratic political action committee.
Texas Supreme Court upholds ban on transition-related care for minors
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court upholds ban on transition-related care for minorsParents and medical providers of transgender adolescents sued Texas, challenging the constitutionality of a restriction on puberty blockers and hormone therapy.
Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to state's abortion law over medical exceptions
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to state's abortion law over medical exceptionsThe Texas Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U.S. following a lawsuit by women who had serious pregnancy complications.
David Covey forces runoff with Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who led AG Ken Paxton's impeachment
Read full article: David Covey forces runoff with Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, who led AG Ken Paxton's impeachmentTexas House Speaker Dade Phelan is bound for a runoff with GOP challenger David Covey after being bruised by state Attorney General Ken Paxton's campaign against House incumbents who sought his impeachment.
Alabama IVF ruling highlights importance of state supreme court races in this year's US elections
Read full article: Alabama IVF ruling highlights importance of state supreme court races in this year's US electionsThe recent ruling in Alabama that frozen embryos are legally considered children has created a political firestorm after the decision halted treatment for many couples trying to have families through fertility treatments.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group sues Texas AG, says it wonāt identify transgender families
Read full article: LGBTQ+ advocacy group sues Texas AG, says it wonāt identify transgender familiesA national LGBTQ+ advocacy group is suing the Texas Attorney General, rather than handing over information about transgender children receiving gender-confirming medical care.
Texas Supreme Court hears legal challenge to ban on gender-transition care for kids
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court hears legal challenge to ban on gender-transition care for kidsA fight over allowing transgender children to access puberty blockers and hormone therapies could hinge on justicesā interpretation of parental rights.
Bidens invite Kate Cox, Dallas mom who sued to terminate pregnancy, to State of the Union address
Read full article: Bidens invite Kate Cox, Dallas mom who sued to terminate pregnancy, to State of the Union addressThe Supreme Court of Texas ruled against Coxās lawsuit to block the stateās abortion ban. She traveled out of state to have an abortion.
Texas Supreme Court declines to revive billionaireās defamation lawsuit against Beto OāRourke
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court declines to revive billionaireās defamation lawsuit against Beto OāRourkeKelcy Warren, a Dallas pipeline billionaire, sued OāRourke in early 2022, saying the Democrat defamed him with critical comments about his companyās windfall profits after the Texas energy-grid collapse in February 2021.
Texas Supreme Court blocks order allowing abortion; woman who sought it leaves state
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court blocks order allowing abortion; woman who sought it leaves stateA judge ruled that Kate Cox was allowed to terminate her non-viable pregnancy, but on Friday night, the Texas Supreme Court put that ruling on hold.
Texas Supreme Court temporarily halts ruling allowing Dallas woman to get an abortion
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court temporarily halts ruling allowing Dallas woman to get an abortionAfter a Travis County district judge cleared the way for Kate Cox, 31, to terminate her pregnancy, Ken Paxton petitioned the stateās highest court to halt the ruling.
Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challenge
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court considers abortion challengeIn August, a judge ruled that the stateās near-total abortion ban should not apply to medically complicated pregnancies. The state appealed that ruling to the Texas Supreme Court, putting it on hold.
Texas women who could not get abortions despite health risks take challenge to stateās Supreme Court
Read full article: Texas women who could not get abortions despite health risks take challenge to stateās Supreme CourtThe Texas Supreme Court is deciding whether the state's abortion ban is too restrictive for women with pregnancy complications.
Judge pauses Ken Paxton whistleblower lawsuit
Read full article: Judge pauses Ken Paxton whistleblower lawsuitFormer top aides to the Texas attorney general are seeking damages for their firings after they reported Paxton to the FBI. The Legislature opted not to authorize a $3.3 million settlement in the lawsuit.
Texas judgeās refusal to marry gay couples goes before state supreme court
Read full article: Texas judgeās refusal to marry gay couples goes before state supreme courtTexas Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday in the case of a Waco judge who refused to marry same-sex couples. It is unclear when the high court will issue a ruling.
Lawsuit by Attorney General Ken Paxtonās accusers can continue, Texas Supreme Court rules
Read full article: Lawsuit by Attorney General Ken Paxtonās accusers can continue, Texas Supreme Court rulesThe whistleblower lawsuit, which argues that four senior staffers were improperly fired in retaliation for reporting Paxton to the FBI, returns to a Travis County trial court for action.
A unique Texas legal rule lets the attorney generalās office supersede some judgesā orders
Read full article: A unique Texas legal rule lets the attorney generalās office supersede some judgesā ordersLawyers criticize a provision they say erodes the separation of powers between Texasā executive branch and its courts. Itās been used repeatedly this year as Texans try to block new state laws from going into effect
Things to know about the latest court and policy action on transgender issues in the US
Read full article: Things to know about the latest court and policy action on transgender issues in the USAfter the latest wave of legal rulings on restrictions for transgender people, a Texas ban on gender-affirming care for minors is in effect.
Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
Read full article: Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effectThe Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.
Texas Supreme Court lets state law eliminating Harris County elections chief stand, for now
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court lets state law eliminating Harris County elections chief stand, for nowThe ruling means the November elections in the stateās largest county will be overseen by two other county officials. Legislators targeted Harris Countyās elections department after taking issue with the way the 2022 elections were run.
ERCOT canāt be sued over power grid failures during 2021 winter storm, Texas Supreme Court rules
Read full article: ERCOT canāt be sued over power grid failures during 2021 winter storm, Texas Supreme Court rulesThe all-Republican court narrowly found that the nonprofit corporation operating the stateās electrical grid qualifies for sovereign immunity, which protects government entities from lawsuits.
Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for higher judicial salaries, business courts
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for higher judicial salaries, business courtsIn his biennial state of the judiciary, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht also warned against politicsā encroachment into the third branch of government.
Texas Republicans, once allied with prosecutors, seek to rein them in
Read full article: Texas Republicans, once allied with prosecutors, seek to rein them inSome local district and county attorneys have said they will not pursue abortion-related cases, or prioritize certain drug, property and election crimes.
Texas Supreme Court knocks down challenge to San Antonio charter amendment in May
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court knocks down challenge to San Antonio charter amendment in MayThe Texas Supreme Court on Friday knocked down a legal challenge to the proposed San Antonio charter amendment, paving the way for residents to vote on the wide-sweeping measure May 6.
Texas education agency ready to find new leaders for Houston school district, documents show
Read full article: Texas education agency ready to find new leaders for Houston school district, documents showTexasā education agency first moved to take over the district in 2019 after years of low student performance at a single Houston ISD high school. Critics said the district has made improvements since then.
Ken Paxtonās whistleblowers ask Texas Supreme Court to take up their case as $3.3 million settlement in jeopardy
Read full article: Ken Paxtonās whistleblowers ask Texas Supreme Court to take up their case as $3.3 million settlement in jeopardyLawyers for four former employees who accused the attorney general of firing them for reporting alleged crimes to authorities say Paxton wonāt agree to finalizing the deadline by the end of this legislative session.
Texas Supreme Court clears way for stateās education agency to take over Houston ISD
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court clears way for stateās education agency to take over Houston ISDThe decision from the stateās highest court would allow the TEA to move forward with its plan to replace Houston ISDās school board members over low academic scores.
Texas executes Robert Fratta after high courts reject challenges to expired lethal injection drugs
Read full article: Texas executes Robert Fratta after high courts reject challenges to expired lethal injection drugsFratta was convicted in the 1994 murder-for-hire of his wife. Lawyers unsuccessfully challenged Texasā routine of extending the expiration dates of its lethal drugs, a practice begun when many pharmacies began refusing to provide doses for executions.
Texas Supreme Court will decide whether ERCOT should be immune from lawsuits sparked by deadly winter storm
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court will decide whether ERCOT should be immune from lawsuits sparked by deadly winter stormMany people and insurers sued the Electric Reliability Council of Texas after the 2021 freeze. The nonprofit says it shouldnāt be liable. The state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in.
Texas Supreme Court says it canāt force the state to process deluge of applications for tax break expiring this year
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court says it canāt force the state to process deluge of applications for tax break expiring this yearThe program, known as Chapter 313, provides companies with billions of dollars in property tax breaks. The court said it is up to the Legislature to make the call on what to do as the program is set to expire and the state is swamped with applications.
Republican dominance continues for the two highest courts in Texas
Read full article: Republican dominance continues for the two highest courts in TexasThree seats were up for election in the Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil cases, and three in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Democrats havenāt been elected to either court since the late 1990s.
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to dismiss abortion fundsā defamation case against anti-abortion activist
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to dismiss abortion fundsā defamation case against anti-abortion activistSeveral abortion funds have sued anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, who called them ācriminal organizations,ā for defamation.
Texasā elected Supreme Court: What to know before voting for justices
Read full article: Texasā elected Supreme Court: What to know before voting for justicesThe nine-member Texas Supreme Court has the power to make sweeping decisions that interpret the meaning of the stateās constitution, impacting the lives of Texans across the state. Three seats are on the ballot this year.
Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to allow stateās education agency to oust Houston school board
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to allow stateās education agency to oust Houston school boardAmong other issues, the court will consider whether a law that updated the education code last year has any bearing on TEA Commissioner Mike Morathās attempt to replace HISDās board members over low academic scores.
Republican effort to remove Libertarians from November ballot rejected by Texas Supreme Court
Read full article: Republican effort to remove Libertarians from November ballot rejected by Texas Supreme CourtOn Aug. 8, a group of Republican candidates asked the Supreme Court to remove 23 Libertarian opponents from the ballot, saying they did not meet eligibility requirements. The Republicans included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others in congressional and state legislative races.
Volkswagen argues that Greg Abbottās choice of judges in lawsuit could tilt emissions case in Texasā favor
Read full article: Volkswagen argues that Greg Abbottās choice of judges in lawsuit could tilt emissions case in Texasā favorBecause the state is a party in Attorney General Ken Paxtonās cases against the companies, Volkswagen lawyers have argued that allowing the Texas governor to appoint justices to a case for which the state stands to win a substantial amount of money would give āthe impression that the State has had undue influence.ā
Texas clinics battle strict abortion law as legal hopes dim
Read full article: Texas clinics battle strict abortion law as legal hopes dimThe nationās strictest abortion law went before the Texas Supreme Court on Thursday but an attorney representing abortion clinics said he no longer sees a way in this case to halt the law.
Texas abortion law challenge heads to state's supreme court, likely adding more delays to case
Read full article: Texas abortion law challenge heads to state's supreme court, likely adding more delays to caseThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appealsā decision means it could take months before abortion providersā challenge to the restrictive law returns to a federal court.