Judge Steve Jones, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. (Courtesy photo)Lawyers Set to Argue Over Abortion Ban Monday
"Plaintiffs describe it as banning abortion at a pre-viability point in pregnancy; Defendants describe it as restricting certain types of pre-viability abortions to pursue its interests in saving unborn life," the opposing parties said in a joint discovery plan for the constitutional challenge to Georgia's new law.
September 19, 2019 at 03:49 PM
2 minute read
The first hearing over a challenge to Georgia's new abortion ban is set for Monday at 10 a.m. before Judge Steve Jones of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
Women's equal rights and health activists challenging the law have asked for a temporary injunction blocking it while their lawsuit is pending. Attorneys representing the state have argued in pleadings that no injunction is necessary because the case can be decided before the law takes effect Jan. 1.
The parties filed a joint preliminary report and discovery plan Wednesday.
"This case challenges the constitutionality of H.B. 481 … the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act … enacted into law on May 7, 2019," the report said. "The LIFE Act redefines 'Natural Person' in the Georgia Code. Plaintiffs describe it as banning abortion at a pre-viability point in pregnancy; Defendants describe it as restricting certain types of pre-viability abortions to pursue its interests in saving unborn life, protecting maternal health, safeguarding the integrity and ethics of the medical profession, and encouraging childbirth."
ACLU Georgia Legal Director Sean J. Young represents SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and numerous others who have sued Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and prosecutors around the state in federal court. They allege the abortion ban created by House Bill 481 is unconstitutional and violates U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Attorney General Chris Carr, tasked with defending the state, has hired outside counsel: Jeffrey M. Harris of Consovoy McCarthy from Washington, D.C.
The law is one of dozens around the country that supporters call a "heartbeat bill" because it bans abortion from the point when a doctor can pick up a pulse on an ultrasound, which can be as early as six weeks into pregnancy—about a month after conception. Opponents say the name is intentionally misleading because no heart has yet formed in what would be a pea-sized collection of embryonic cells. The law gives the embryo the full rights of citizenship and provides for the possibility of criminal prosecution for violations.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Federal Court Rejects Plaintiff's Attempt to Amend Claims Against Weapons Manufacturer
Trending Stories
- 1Tensions Run High at Final Hearing Before Manhattan Congestion Pricing Takes Effect
- 2Improper Removal to Fed. Court Leads to $100K Bill for Blue Cross Blue Shield
- 3Michael Halpern, Beloved Key West Attorney, Dies at 72
- 4Burr & Forman, Smith Gambrell & Russell Promote More to Partner This Year
- 5Sanctions Order Over Toyota's Failure to Provide English Translations of Documents Vacated by Appeals Court
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
