On May 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a ruling that would ban the mailing of an abortion drug during litigation — an order that the court acknowledged would have nationwide effect.

Although the drugmakers quickly went to the U.S. Supreme Court seeking relief, the decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration immediately upended the post-Roe landscape in the United States.

It was one of a trio of issues in which the appeals court and the district court judges who are subject to the court’s appellate jurisdiction sought to act this past week in ways that could have varying levels of control and influence outside of the Fifth Circuit states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

And though it is true that the Supreme Court has regularly reversed the Fifth Circuit in recent years, that — as I’ve written previously — paints a misleading picture, because many of the court’s rulings are also affirmed by the Supreme Court or not even reviewed by it. More importantly, this report explains why, regardless of what the Supreme Court ultimately does, the Fifth Circuit’s actions can be (and are often intended to be) extremely destabilizing in the interim.

After years of campaigning, England and Wales have officially decriminalised abortion for women in a “landmark moment” as part of proposed changes to the Crime and Policing Bill.

The government has now formally done away with the ancient Offences Against the Person Act from 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act of 1929, both of which saw women and girls open to arrest, investigation or prosecution in relation to procuring an abortion for themselves. Recent years have seen a worrying increase in criminal cases, after minimal incidences for decades, as more anti-abortion groups receive funding in the UK.

Women and girls who have been previously convicted or jailed in relation to an abortion outside of the legal framework will receive a pardon (although this won’t happen immediately; the government will be required to enact this in future and it is expected to take place over the next year).

The change sees English and Welsh law more closely resemble legislation seen in Canada, Denmark, Sweden, France and New Zealand and will keep the existing legal framework intact – meaning doctors or abusive partners acting unlawfully could still face consequences. The British Medical Association said the change was “long overdue” when MPs initially voted in favour to decriminalise abortion last June.

Stephen Wolf
‪@stephenwolf.bsky.social‬

Alabama’s lieutenant governor, who also serves as president of the state Senate, posted a 7-0 Republican gerrymander calling for his party to eliminate both Black Democrats.

Every seat on a map like this would be dark red and heavily white

New Jersey could join the crop of blue states currently considering new congressional maps in light of the US Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively vanquishes protections for racial minority districts.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill told CNN that “we’ll take the measures we have to take” when asked if the state should redistrict in response to red states’ plans to eliminate minority districts after the SCOTUS ruling, and at President Trump’s urging.

“Right now, we are looking at what’s going on and making sure that people know that the voting system is fair,” said Gov. Sherrill. “If Trump is going to try to attack fair voting across the country, then New Jersey is going to stand up so that we can create, you know, a counter-balance to whatever he’s doing.”

She acknowledged that there were “some constitutional limitations” that would prevent New Jersey from implementing it this year.

New Jersey’s current congressional map that went into effect in 2022 was created by a bipartisan committee, which drew nine districts for Democrats and three for Republicans.

The primaries for the 2026 midterm elections are underway, as Republicans and Democrats fight for control for the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans have a razor-thin margin, by trying to redraw congressional district maps.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled on the Voting Rights Act case, striking down Louisiana’s voting map. Then on Thursday, Louisiana’s governor issued an executive order delaying the state’s House primary elections and requested the Legislature reconvene and pass new congressional maps. On Friday, Tennessee’s governor called for a special session for the state’s lawmakers to consider new House maps.

So, for now, here is a breakdown of states where maps affecting November’s election have already been redone, or where there has been action to make changes.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals suspended former President Joe Biden administration’s 2023 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for mifepristone nationwide, Attorney General Liz Murrill announced.

Based on this ruling, prescribers cannot lawfully mail abortion drugs into the state of Louisiana. Now, the in-person dispensing of mifepristone, a prescription used to medically terminate a pregnancy, is again required while litigation continues.

“The Biden abortion cartel facilitated the deaths of thousands of Louisiana babies (and millions in other states) through illegal mail-order abortion pills,” Murrill said.

“Today, that nightmare is over, thanks to the hard work of my office and our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom. I look forward to continuing to defend women and babies as this case continues.”

Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama said on Friday she would summon lawmakers to consider a new congressional map under the newly weakened Voting Rights Act, but acknowledged legislators could act only if the Supreme Court clears the way.

Ms. Ivey’s call for a special session may not affect the 2026 midterm elections, but it was the first step taken by a state not directly affected by this week’s Supreme Court decision that further eroded the law. That decision rejected Louisiana’s congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander.

Alabama has longstanding court battles over its congressional map and whether Black voters have had their power undermined. On Thursday, Ms. Ivey had said adopting a new map was impossible before November, because a federal court order bars the state from using new district lines until after the 2030 census.

Later that day, Alabama’s attorney general, Steve Marshall, asked the Supreme Court to let lawmakers revisit the map. Mr. Marshall filed motions in three redistricting cases pending before the court, asking the justices to lift lower court orders preventing that.

In her statement, Ms. Ivey said she wants legislators to be in position to move quickly. She suggested that if the Supreme Court allowed, the state would return to a congressional map previously approved in 2023 and a state senate map approved in 2021.