Just hours after U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin issued an injunction against Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s plan to revoke public funding for Planned Parenthood, a judge on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans threw out Judge Yeakel's ruling permitting Texas to cut funding.
Judge Jerry Smith, appointed by President George W. Bush, granted the state’s request for an emergency stay. Democrats were quick to point out that it’s not the first time Smith has weighed in on partisan politics, having recently corrected some of the president’s rhetoric on the authority of the judiciary.
Smith’s ruling gave Planned Parenthood until 5 p.m. on Tuesday to respond to the state’s appeal. It’s not clear if he’ll change his mind but, if he does not, Planned Parenthood’s funding in Texas will officially go to zero, eliminating health care for over 130,000 lower income women — a dire situation that could last for months as the case makes its way through federal courts.
No comments:
Post a Comment