Four abortion laws passed in 2017 that are the subject of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas on behalf of abortion providers in the state have been placed on hold once again following a ruling this week by U.S. District Judge Kristine G. Baker.
Baker granted an injunction in 2017 that prevented the legislation from taking effect and since that time, the laws have been caught in a protracted legal fight as to whether they are constitutional.
Last August the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Baker's 2017 injunction, asking her to use a different legal standard to review any request to keep the state's laws from taking effect. In December, the 8th Circuit declined to reconsider its decision to vacate Baker's preliminary injunction, which cleared the way for the laws to go into effect on Dec.
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