Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee Statement on Texas Abortion Ban Ruling
Houston, Texas (July 2, 2022)— Late Friday night the Texas Supreme Court temporarily set aside part of a Harris County court order that blocked the enforcement of Texas abortion bans that predate Roe v. Wade.
Harris County Attorney Christian D Menefee, the chief civil attorney for the largest county in Texas, issued the following statement:
“It’s unconscionable that the Texas Supreme Court ruled in the middle of the night to open the door for Texans to be penalized for abortion before the trigger ban goes into effect. Attorney General Ken Paxton is continuing to argue that abortion laws dating back to the 1920s—laws that were repealed as a result of the Roe v. Wade decision—are now magically enforceable again because Roe has been overturned. It’s a bad faith argument that will harm people across our state. His goal is to sow fear and confusion among medical professionals and women in this state. Overturning Roe may have set us back 50 years, but there is no reason that the Texas Supreme Court and the Attorney General should take Texans back to the 1920s.”
The Texas Supreme Court’s stay applies to the state agency defendants who appealed Whole Woman’s Health, et al. v. Ken Paxton, et al. case in the 269th District Court of Harris County, Texas. The stay does not apply to the district attorney defendants—those prosecutors remain blocked from enforcing pre-Roe abortion laws, per the district court’s order. The Texas Supreme Court ordered the parties to submit briefing on relevant issues by July 11 at 5 p.m.
About the Harris County Attorney’s Office
Christian D. Menefee serves as the elected, top civil lawyer for Texas’ largest county. The Harris County Attorney’s Office represents the county in all civil matters including lawsuits. Menefee leads an office of 250 attorneys and staff members. He entered office at 32 years old, making him the youngest person and first African American elected as the Harris County Attorney.
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