Supreme Court rules against abortion clinics

(HT:Daniel at UK Students for Life)

from the Associated Press:

Justices rule anti-abortion protests may not be banned using extortion laws

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to abortion clinics in a two-decade-old legal fight over anti-abortion protests, ruling that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban demonstrations.

Anti-abortion groups brought the appeal after the 7th Circuit had asked a trial judge to determine whether a nationwide injunction could be supported by charges that protesters had made threats of violence absent a connection with robbery or extortion.

The 8-0 decision ends a case that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had kept alive despite a 2003 decision by the high court that lifted a nationwide injunction on anti-abortion groups led by Joseph Scheidler and others.

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Quote from Joseph Scheidler on the SCOTUS decision:

“It’s going to open up the floodgates of activism. People have been afraid they would face the RICO and the huge triple damages. People are going to feel free to get involved now."