New York

New York County Clerk Blocks Texas Court Filing Against Doctor Over Abortion Pills

Published

1 year ago

March 27, 2025

New York County Clerk Blocks Texas Court Filing Against Doctor Over Abortion Pills

A New York county clerk on Thursday blocked Texas from filing a legal action against a New York doctor for prescribing and sending abortion pills to a Texas woman.

The unprecedented move catapults the interstate abortion wars to a new level, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle between states that ban abortion and states that support abortion rights.

The dispute is widely expected to reach the Supreme Court, pitting Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban, against New York, which has a shield law that is intended to protect abortion providers who send medications to patients in other states.

New York is one of eight states that have enacted “telemedicine abortion shield laws” after the Supreme Court overturned the national right to an abortion in 2022. The laws prevent officials from extraditing abortion providers to other states or from responding to subpoenas and other legal actions — a stark departure from typical interstate practices of cooperating in such cases.

The action by the New York county clerk is the first time that an abortion shield law has been used.

This case involves Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter of New Paltz, N.Y., who works with telemedicine abortion organizations to provide abortion pills to patients across the country. In December, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued Dr. Carpenter, who is not licensed in Texas, accusing her of sending abortion pills to a Texas woman, in violation of the state’s ban.

Dr. Carpenter and her lawyers did not respond to the lawsuit and did not show up for a court hearing last month in Texas. Judge Bryan Gantt of Collin County District Court issued a default judgment, ordering Dr. Carpenter to pay a penalty of $113,000 and to stop sending abortion medication to Texas.

On Thursday, citing New York’s shield law, the acting clerk of Ulster County in Kingston, N.Y., Taylor Bruck, said he would not grant Texas’ motion seeking to enforce the Collin County order. He also refused to allow Texas to file a summons that sought to force Dr. Carpenter to pay the penalty and comply with the Texas ruling.

“In accordance with the New York State Shield Law, I have refused this filing and will refuse any similar filings that may come to our office,” Mr. Bruck said in a statement. “Since this decision is likely to result in further litigation, I must refrain from discussing specific details about the situation.”

New York’s attorney general, Letitia James, had previously sent guidance to courts and officials throughout the state, directing them to follow the shield law and indicating how they could comply and which specific actions were prohibited.

“I commend the Ulster County Clerk for doing what is right,” Ms. James said in a statement. “New York’s shield law was created to protect patients and providers from out-of-state anti-choice attacks, and we will not allow anyone to undermine health care providers’ ability to deliver necessary care to their patients. My office will always defend New York’s medical professionals and the people they serve.”

The Texas attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Legal experts said that a likely next step would be for Texas to file a challenge to the shield law in a state or federal court in New York.

Texas was the first state with an abortion ban to initiate legal action against abortion providers in states with shield laws. In January, the first criminal charges against a shield-law abortion provider were filed in a second state, Louisiana. In that case, a state grand jury issued a criminal indictment, also against Dr. Carpenter, accusing her of violating Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban by sending pills to that state.

Last month, Louisiana officials issued an extradition order for Dr. Carpenter, which was immediately rebuffed by New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul.

“I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana — not now, not ever,” Ms. Hochul said then.

Dr. Carpenter and her lawyers have not commented about either the Texas or Louisiana case. The Abortion Coalition for Telemedicine, an organization Dr. Carpenter co-founded, has issued statements in response to the cases. “Shield laws are essential in safeguarding and enabling abortion care regardless of a patient’s ZIP code or ability to pay,” the coalition has said. “They are fundamental to ensuring everyone can access reproductive health care as a human right.”

Telemedicine abortion shield laws have become a key strategy for supporters of abortion rights. Under these laws, which have been in use since summer 2023, health care providers in states where abortion is legal have been sending more than 10,000 abortion pills per month to patients in states with abortion bans or restrictions.

The Texas lawsuit accuses Dr. Carpenter of providing a 20-year-old woman with the two medications used in a standard abortion regimen, mifepristone and misoprostol. Typically used up through 12 weeks into pregnancy, mifepristone blocks a hormone needed for pregnancies to develop, and misoprostol, taken 24 to 48 hours later, causes contractions similar to a miscarriage.

According to a complaint filed by the Texas attorney general’s office, the woman, who had been nine weeks pregnant, asked the “biological father of her unborn child” to take her to the emergency room in July “because of hemorrhage or severe bleeding.” The man “suspected that the biological mother had in fact done something to contribute to the miscarriage,” the suit said, and he went back to their home in Collin County, where he “discovered the two above-referenced medications from Carpenter.”

In the Collin County court hearing last month, Ernest C. Garcia, chief of the administrative law division in the attorney general’s office, said that the man “then filed a complaint with the Texas Attorney General’s Office.”

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New York

How a Family of 3 Lives on $25,000 in Corona, Queens

Published

16 minutes ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

How a Family of 3 Lives on ,000 in Corona, Queens

How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It’s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.

We surveyed hundreds of New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save. We found that many people — rich, poor or somewhere in between — live life as a series of small calculations that add up to one big question: What makes living in New York worth it?

As an Uber driver in New York City, Anup Baniya works long hours behind the wheel of his S.U.V., navigating snarled traffic.

The passengers he ferries across the city may be surprised to learn how little he earns.

Mr. Baniya, an immigrant from Nepal, brings home roughly $25,000 each year after paying for his vehicle and other business expenses.

His wife, Sonu Khadka, stays home with their 7-month-old son, Ivaan. There is little money left at the end of each week.

“If I make a few extra bucks, maybe we can get some things for the baby,” he said.

Mr. Baniya said making money as an Uber driver has become more difficult.

Mr. Baniya, 36, said it had become more difficult over the years to make a living driving for Uber. His costs have risen, and trips are harder to find.

He has considered doing other jobs like becoming a data analyst. But he likes choosing his own hours. It was important for him to join his wife for her prenatal appointments and to attend his son’s pediatrician visits.

“I like the freedom I get from it,” he said. “Through my wife’s pregnancy, I had flexibility.”

A Family Friendly Complex in Queens

The family lives in a small apartment in LeFrak City, a housing complex in Corona, Queens, that has long been a haven for working class and immigrant families.

The rent is $2,500 per month, which they split in half with a roommate. Mr. Baniya pays roughly $400 per month for internet and utilities.

The complex feels like its own village with 20 high-rise buildings and sprawling lawns of green space. Ivaan recently started using the swing set at the playground.

Their apartment is cramped, and Mr. Baniya worries about rent increases. Their roommate sleeps in a small room that typically serves as a den.

Mr. Baniya used to pay for a parking garage, but now parks on the street to save money.

His work day usually starts at 7 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., except for Tuesdays which he takes off to spend with his family. He drives for Uber and sometimes for Lyft.

“The more jobs we do, the more income we get — I’m usually on the road for 10 hours,” he said.

A recent Monday was a “bad day,” he said. Business was slow. He spent five hours on the road with passengers and made about $125, or $25 per hour before expenses.

The Economics of Driving for Uber

Mr. Baniya’s greatest expense is the vehicle he uses for work. He pays $2,400 per month to rent a hybrid RAV 4 S.U.V. and $450 per month for car insurance.

He spends about $100 per week on gas, though that could increase with the recent jump in gas prices. He visits the carwash twice a week and gets regular oil changes. All together, his business expenses cost more than $30,000 per year, according to a copy of a recent tax return.

His family relies on a low-cost health insurance plan through a federally-subsidized program called the Essential Plan.

Around 2017, he joined the Independent Drivers Guild, a group that represents Uber drivers, to help fight for higher pay.

Mr. Baniya said that the city’s minimum pay rules for ride-share drivers had not kept pace with inflation and that Uber was keeping too much of the fare — nearly one-fourth per trip, according to research by the driver group. The city’s cap on new vehicle licenses raised the cost of renting a vehicle, and he argued that the city should instead limit the number of new drivers.

“I feel like customers are paying way more than they used to pay, but drivers are making way less than they used to make,” he said.

Uber, which is expanding its offices in New York, has argued that drivers do make a good living, roughly $52,000 per year for many full-time drivers, and that congestion pricing tolls and airport fees have contributed to higher costs for passengers.

When Mr. Baniya is working, it is often difficult to find a place to stop for a break. Parking spots are elusive in Manhattan, and he worries about violating the city’s complex parking rules, which carry large fines, including $115 for parking near a fire hydrant or $50 to $250 for blocking a bus lane.

“There is nowhere for us to rest or to try to run and get a cup of coffee,” he said.

Many drivers rely on tips from passengers in the app, but he said they were rare.

“Out of 10 riders, maybe one tips,” he said.

Living on a Budget

The family spends about $800 per month on groceries and baby food. They cook at home and eat at a restaurant once a month.

The couple recently visited Food Bazaar and picked up chicken breasts for $7.66, along with chickpea spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner. Mr. Baniya’s job is sedentary, and he tries to eat healthy because he does not get much exercise.

“You’re sitting the whole day,” he said. “I considered myself more healthy before I started driving.”

The family did not take a vacation last year and does not have plans for one this year. Someday, Mr. Baniya wants his son to be able to visit family in Nepal.

When his wife was pregnant and a passenger unexpectedly tipped him $500 for a long trip from Manhattan to Philadelphia, he knew immediately how he would spend it.

“I went out and bought a stroller and car seat for the baby,” he said.

We are talking to New Yorkers about how they spend, splurge and save.

New York

Video: Shimmying American Woodcocks Cause a Birding Frenzy in N.Y.C.

Published

5 days ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Video: Shimmying American Woodcocks Cause a Birding Frenzy in N.Y.C.

new video loaded: Shimmying American Woodcocks Cause a Birding Frenzy in N.Y.C.

People flocked to Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, where the quirky American woodcocks had made a pit stop on their migration north. The birds are known for their bopping and shimmying.

By Jorge Mitssunaga

April 1, 2026

New York

How a Database Manager Lives on $118,000 in Inwood

Published

1 week ago

March 30, 2026

Press Room

How a Database Manager Lives on 8,000 in Inwood

How can people possibly afford to live in one of the most expensive cities on the planet? It’s a question New Yorkers hear a lot, often delivered with a mix of awe, pity and confusion.

Matthew Kaal was always fascinated by tall buildings, so it did not surprise his family when he left Phoenix in 2006 to attend a small Christian college that held classes in the Empire State Building.

Twenty years later, Mr. Kaal, now 38, works in Midtown Manhattan in a high-rise building. As the director of enterprise systems and services for the American Association of Advertising Agencies, he earned $118,000 last year, including a $5,000 bonus. After taxes, his take-home pay was around $80,000.

His commute is around 40 minutes by subway from Inwood, in northern Manhattan, where he lives after being priced out of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side and Harlem. After years of living with roommates, he can finally afford to live on his own. In March 2021, during the pandemic, he got a deal on a 485-square-foot, rent-stabilized apartment overlooking Inwood Hill Park. His current rent is $1,570 a month.

Through careful budgeting, Mr. Kaal has been able to save money for his future without giving up splurges like $600 season tickets to New York City FC, the professional soccer club. Last year, he also saw 16 shows and concerts and vacationed in London and Brazil.

“It feels like I live a much bigger life than I think the budget actually comes out to sometimes because I’ve tried to be thoughtful about it,” he said.

Keeping Track of Every Dollar

Mr. Kaal did not start out so comfortably. His first job after college was working in fund-raising and communications for a private school in Hoboken, N.J. He was paid $13 an hour. His commute was an hour and a half each way from a basement apartment in Midwood, Brooklyn, that he shared with a roommate. His share of the rent was $500.

“I used to joke with people that was the period of my life when I read all of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky because I just had time,” he said. “I had my book that I would take on the train with me everywhere.”

As Mr. Kaal has made more money, he has adjusted his budget. Last year, he was able to put $4,000 into a health savings account, $8,000 into a 401(k) and another $7,000 into a Roth I.R.A.

But his budgeting does not stop there. Every month, he earmarks $250 for a general savings account to build up a nest egg for emergencies. Currently, it has nearly $18,000.

He also puts $200 a month into an account for travel, which pays for a trip to a new country every year. Recent trips have taken him to the Dominican Republic, Portugal, France, Australia and South Africa.

Another $100 a month goes into a culture account so that he can see the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic and Broadway shows like “Gypsy.” He tries not to pay more than $150 for a ticket. “I’m siting in the nosebleeds in the $50 seat instead of the $300 seat closer to the stage,” he said.

Mr. Kaal saves money each month for his seven nieces and nephews. Anna Watts for The New York Times

Budgeting for the Future

He puts another $100 a month into a real estate account for a future down payment on an apartment (if he does not end up buying, the money will go toward his retirement). He has saved more than $13,000 so far.

“I’ve kind of compartmentalized everything off into different little funds,” he said, “so that I’m not accidentally raiding one to pay for another.”

Mr. Kaal, who is single, has even set up college savings accounts for each of his seven nieces and nephews. He sets aside $40 a month for each child, or a total of $280 a month. Currently, the seven accounts hold nearly $26,000. “The way that I think about it is if I lived closer, I would probably be spending that much taking them for ice cream or something,” he said.

To pay for the things that matter to him, Mr. Kaal said that he tried to be “thoughtful and intentional” about his monthly expenses. He typically keeps his electricity bill to $100 a month, even in the summer, when he will open the windows and run the fan instead of using air-conditioning.

A Takeout Savings Tactic

He usually sticks to his budget of $1,000 a month for groceries, household expenses, coffee breaks and meals out. He takes subways and buses instead of calling Ubers, allowing him to keep his transportation costs under $150 a month.

He spends $70 a month on a T-Mobile cellphone plan, and another $25 a month for a gym membership at Planet Fitness.

This year, he has saved more than $100 a month by canceling Netflix, Peacock and other streaming services that he did not use often enough to justify the cost.

He has also cut back on food deliveries. To make himself pause before tapping the order button, he decided that he would donate the cost of whatever he ends up spending to a food pantry or a charity. So far, he has ordered five deliveries all year, compared to three or four a month last year.

Mr. Kaal said he would use some of his savings to increase his donations to local charities. He has set a goal to donate $7,000 this year, up from $2,500 last year.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate that my salary has grown and I’m able to live comfortably,” he said. “But even when I was barely scraping by as an hourly worker, it was a lot of fun.”