
Justice Department asks Supreme Court to halt enforcement of Texas abortion law
CBSN
Washington — The Justice Department on Monday asked the Supreme Court to block enforcement of a Texas law that bans most abortions while a legal battle over its constitutionality continues in the lower courts.
The Biden administration said Friday that it planned to ask the high court to intervene in its dispute with the state of Texas over the law, which prohibits abortions after embryonic cardiac activity is detected, usually at about six weeks and often before someone is aware they are pregnant. The Justice Department formally asked the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the measure, known as S.B. 8, in a filing on Monday, arguing Texas "successfully nullified this court's decisions within its borders."
"Texas designed S.B. 8 to violate the Constitution, as interpreted by this court, and to thwart judicial review — both by forswearing enforcement by the state's executive officials, in an effort to avoid pre-enforcement review, and by designing S.B. 8 suits to frustrate post-enforcement review," acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher wrote in the filing.

Dana Chandler has spent decades maintaining her innocence against allegations she was responsible for the 2002 murders of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his girlfriend, Karen Harkness. HAROLD WORSWICK (to 911): I just located my daughter and she's downstairs and she's dead … JULY 28: … Dana stalking neighborhood at 8:30, caught her she left. ... DET. RICHARD VOLLE (phone call to Chandler): Your husband was found shot to death today, this afternoon. Your ex-husband, I'm sorry … Can you tell me when the last time was that you talked to him? DANA CHANDLER (phone call to police): Hi, my name is Dana Chandler and I got a very disturbing phone call last night. Someone had said that my ex-husband had been killed, and I'm just calling to — to see if that's true or not … DET. RICHARD VOLLE ( interview audio 2002): Tell me about what happened on the 6th. HAILEY SEEL (recorded phone call): … I think that the only way I can really move on with a relationship with you is if we can get it, you know, if you can just tell me yourself that you did it. … HAILEY SEEL (recorded phone call): Why did it have no calls and was at home the whole time? You knew it could be traced. DANA CHANDLER (recorded conversation): I said I could kill him. You ever think about killing him? HAROLD DOW | "48 Hours" correspondent: Did you know anything about the death of Michael and Karen? HAILEY SEEL (recording to Dana Chandler): Nobody can say that they — that you were in Colorado that weekend? DANA CHANDLER (recording): …. you ever think about killing him? DANA CHANDLER (recording, played in court): … She asked me for money and we don't give people money at AA. I said, "I'll go buy you some gas …"