Story perspectives

Judge Pauses Texas and Florida Mifepristone FDA Case

9/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor paused Texas and Florida’s lawsuit to revoke FDA approval of mifepristone.
The pause lasts until Dec. 1 or until the FDA completes its safety review, whichever occurs first.
Texas and Florida agreed to the court-ordered pause of their lawsuit.
The suit seeks to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, citing the Comstock Act of 1873.

History

Historical Context

In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court issued Roe v. Wade, a 7-2 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The ruling empowered the Food and Drug Administration to approve medication like mifepristone, later authorized in 2000 after reviewing data from over 1,000 patients. Today, Texas and Florida attorneys invoke the 1873 Comstock Act, seeking to reverse the FDA’s 2000 approval, echoing the original abortion rights battle. If Judge Reed O’Connor’s pause ends without reversal, the precedent set by Roe v. Wade may weaken, reshaping nationwide reproductive-health policy.

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Story summary

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor paused Texas and Florida’s lawsuit to revoke FDA approval of mifepristone.
The pause lasts until Dec. 1 or until the FDA completes its safety review, whichever occurs first.
Texas and Florida agreed to the court-ordered pause of their lawsuit.
The suit seeks to overturn the FDA’s 2000 approval of mifepristone, citing the Comstock Act of 1873.

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