Ohio Supreme Court could reinstate 6-week abortion ban ahead of Nov. vote

[RandySF]

Ahead of the abortion rights vote in November, the GOP-led Ohio Supreme Court announced that they will be hearing a case that could reinstate a controversial law that bans the vast majority of abortions.

There has been an August special election, lawsuits and millions of dollars spent all to make it harder for Ohioans to choose in November if they have a constitutional right to abortion.

This was contrasted by the Court dealing a win Friday afternoon to abortion rights groups, unanimously siding that an effort led by activists and supported by Statehouse Republicans in Ohio didn’t have merit to move forward. The group of Republican activists, and a former House representative, tried to prevent the abortion amendment from getting on the ballot.

However, the Court did decide to hear oral arguments in September, giving them the opportunity to put the six-week abortion ban back into place.

“It’s the extremists in Ohio that are pushing every which way they can to stop abortion from being legal,” state Rep. Dr. Anita Somani (D-Dublin) said.



https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/08/14/ohio-supreme-court-could-reinstate-6-week-abortion-ban-ahead-of-nov-vote/

[elias7]

1. Why would the Supreme Court decide to hear a case that is about to go on the ballot?

[Ms. Toad]

2. Because the vote could go either way.

If the amendment loses, the court decision stands, as is.

But if I was the Supreme Court - particularly on the right side of the Supreme Court - I'd wait until after the vote to issue an opinion. An Ohio Supreme Court decision upholding a 6-week ban would be extremely motivating to those who want to preserve abortion rights. It would be very bad/good timing to have an inflammatory vote come out just as voters head to the ballot box.