Supreme Court gives green light to abortion clinics' legal challenge to Texas abortion law

Washington — The Supreme Court on Friday said a legal challenge brought by abortion clinics in Texas against a state law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy can move forward.

The court sided with providers in allowing them to pursue a challenge against some of the defendants named in its suit, namely "executive licensing officials" who take enforcement actions against the clinics if they violate Texas' abortion law. The abortion clinics' earlier efforts to block enforcement of the law had been unsuccessful because the ban's unique design insulated it from federal court review. 

In a separate unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to the Texas law brought by the Justice Department.