The United States and Texas have been frequent adversaries in the U.S. Supreme Court in the last decade or so, but next week, the state's top appellate lawyer will be at the court's lectern for the first time in two of the most controversial cases of the year.

Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone II, who officially took office in February of this year, will appear Nov. 1 in two separate cases that share the same triggering event: the state Legislature's enactment of a ban on abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, commonly known as S.B. 8, or the "Heartbeat" law.