The second day of hearings in a case to temporarily block Florida’s 15-week abortion ban starts Thursday morning. The new law is set to go into effect July 1.
Leon County Judge John Cooper told the lawyers in the case he's likely to rule from the bench after hearing closing arguments, but that might not be soon enough to stop the new law from going into effect.
“I’m aware that July 1 is on Friday but all I can do is what I can do," Cooper said at the conclusion of Monday's hearing. "I don’t think it’s going to be reduced in writing by Friday because I’m going to give whoever is not the prevailing party 24 hours to review."
Cooper encouraged lawyers on both sides to have orders written "which can easily be modified depending on the ruling.”
A group of reproductive rights advocates including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union argue a new state law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy violates a privacy clause in the state constitution. They’re asking for an injunction on the law as the case moves forward.
