Supreme Court rejects abortion pill challenge

The nation’s highest court on Thursday unanimously rejected a broad ban on the abortion medication mifepristone, meaning patients and doctors will retain access to the increasingly important drug. Since the same court overturned federal abortion protections two years ago, a raft of states have imposed harsh bans, which has spiked demand for mifepristone since it can be safely mailed from states that permit abortion.

The court rejected arguments from anti-abortion doctors, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh writing in the decision that their “desire to make a drug less available for others does not establish standing to sue.” Still, despite the rare unanimous decision, the activists who brought the case say they intend to revive the challenge with a fresh case, likely in a friendly jurisdiction.

They’ll have to wait in line, though. This is the most crowded Supreme Court calendar in recent memory, with over a dozen big decisions expected before the court breaks for summer recess in late June. We have our eye on the most crucial items, including the case over Trump’s claims to presidential immunity, the one that could overturn the entire legal framework for federal agency regulations, and a case that could make a mess out of US tax laws.