A federal judge has scheduled the hearing for the Department of Justice’s request to halt a new sweeping state abortion ban.
The hearing, which will take place on October 1, comes after the DOJ requested to freeze the law until the lawsuit against the ban is heard in court.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman’s decision to schedule a hearing on the matter means that until October 1, the new law stays in effect. It also permits the state of Texas to make a case against the request from the administration by Sept. 29, to which the DOJ can respond before the hearing Oct. 1.
The decision to delay the start of the hearing came following requests from Texas to hear arguments before ruling.
The original DOJ request had sought out to immediately pause the enforcement of the law until the formal lawsuit could be heard. The administration emphasizes that the new abortion ban is unconstitutional.
The new Texas state law makes almost all abortions illegal. It blocks abortions at the six week mark, before the majority of women know that they are pregnant, and offers zero exception, even for rape or incest.
The Oct. 1 hearing will focus only on the temporary blocking of the near-total ban. If the halt is granted, it will mean the law’s implementation will be stopped as the court proceedings move forward.
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