June Medical Services L. L. C. v. Russo
In brief
The Supreme Court overturned the Fifth Circuit’s decision upholding Louisiana’s hospital-privileges requirement.
- Where it stands
- Decided
Decided 5-4 · June 29, 2020 · Opinion by Justice Breyer
- What it’s about
- This case concerned a Louisiana law requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
- Who it affects
- Overturning the ruling removed the Fifth Circuit’s approval of Louisiana’s requirement. Justice Breyer’s opinion said Louisiana’s earlier concession and established court decisions blocked its late challenge to the providers’ legal right to sue.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
Abortion clinics and doctors argued that the law was effectively the same as a Texas law the Supreme Court had already struck down and that it placed an unconstitutional burden on access to abortion.
The dispute was part of a larger fight over abortion access: clinics and doctors said Louisiana’s hospital-privileges rule was effectively the same as a Texas rule the Supreme Court had struck down in Whole Woman’s Health.
Question presented
Whether the Fifth Circuit's decision upholding Louisiana's law requiring physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital conflicts with this Court's binding precedent in Whole Woman's Health?
What the Court decided
Holding
The judgment is reversed. 905 F. 3d 787, reversed. JUSTICE BREYER, joined by JUSTICE GINSBURG, JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR, and JUSTICE KAGAN, concluded: 1. The State’s unmistakable concession of standing as part of its effort to obtain a quick decision from the District Court on the merits of the plaintiffs’ undue-burden claims and a long line of well-established precedents foreclose its belated challenge to the plaintiffs’ standing in this Court.
- Result
- Reversed
The vote
- Joined the judgment
- Concurred in a separate opinion
- Dissented
- Wrote an opinion
- Concurring · 1agreed with the result, wrote separately
- Robertswrote separately
From the opinions
“Today a majority of the Court perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.”
What's next
The Supreme Court has completed its action in the case. The record does not identify any further lower-court proceeding or practical step.
Documents
Docket activity
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AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
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AI analysis generated: Decision Record
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Brief added: Questions Presented
More questions
- What happened in June Medical Services?
- The Supreme Court overturned the Fifth Circuit’s ruling that upheld Louisiana’s admitting-privileges requirement for doctors who perform abortions.
- What did Louisiana’s law require?
- It required doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, meaning permission to admit patients there.
- How did Justice Breyer address the providers’ legal right to sue?
- He said Louisiana had conceded that right, and longstanding court decisions barred its late challenge in Supreme Court review.
- What remains unresolved after the Court overturned the Fifth Circuit’s ruling?
- The record does not specify the requirement’s practical status or any further lower-court proceeding.
Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.