The Utah Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a block on the state’s near-total abortion ban, leaving in place a law that allows abortions up to 18 weeks of pregnancy. The ruling dealt a blow to Republican legislators who passed the ban two years before Roe v. Wade was overturned and continued to press for restrictions.
Utah
Utah abortion ban remains on hold after ruling by state’s high court
That 2020 “trigger law” would prohibit all abortions except in cases of rape, incest or serious risk to the mother’s health, or if two maternal fetal medicine physicians determine that the fetus has a lethal defect or severe brain abnormality. A state district judge blocked the measure shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion in 2022, and Thursday’s 4-1 ruling maintains that suspension while the ban’s constitutionality is litigated in the lower court.
The decision by Utah’s majority-female Supreme Court means abortion remains broadly legal throughout the American West, with the exception of Idaho, where it is prohibited in nearly all cases. A ban is on hold in Wyoming, while voters in at least half a dozen states — including Colorado and Nevada plus possibly Montana and Arizona — will vote in November on ballot measures that would strengthen abortion rights.
Planned Parenthood Association of Utah and ACLU of Utah, which challenged the ban in 2022, hailed the ruling while cautioning that their battle has not ended. They argue that the law violates state constitutional rights to privacy, to bodily integrity and to determine one’s family composition.
“Today’s decision means that our patients can continue to come to us, their trusted health care providers, to access abortion and other essential reproductive services right here in Utah,” Kathryn Boyd, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, said in a statement. But, she added, the group “looks forward to this unconstitutional law being permanently struck down.”
For the legislature’s Republican supermajority, the ruling comes as another court setback. The state says its constitution, ratified in 1895, includes no right to abortion.
The court decision Thursday noted that the justices, all Republican appointees, were addressing only whether the lower court abused its discretion in concluding that Planned Parenthood met the then-standard for an injunction.
“The district court did not,” the majority said, also noting in its ruling that Planned Parenthood “raises serious issues” about the ban’s constitutionality.
Abortion opponents expressed disappointment and even “great sorrow” over the outcome. Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said in a statement that they were “hopeful that this decision will be a temporary setback.” Others went further.
“The decision made today is a grim reminder that our society has strayed far from the moral compass that once guided us,” Mary Taylor, president of Pro-Life Utah, said in a joint statement with the leaders of Utah Eagle Forum and Abortion-Free Utah Coalition.
Abortion is now mostly or completely prohibited in 18 states, a patchwork that includes much of the South and Midwest. In Idaho, Utah’s neighbor, a sweeping ban allows only some emergency abortions at hospitals after a Supreme Court decision in June. Arizona prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood operates three of Utah’s four abortion clinics, which do the vast majority of procedures in the state. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, 3,129 abortions were recorded.
Utah’s legislature took aim at those facilities last year, requiring abortions to be performed in hospitals and prohibiting the licensing of such clinics. Planned Parenthood also sued over that measure, which it described as a backdoor attempt by the lawmakers to criminalize abortion even as the judiciary weighed their initial law.
The same district court suspended the clinic law just before it was to take effect. The legislature this year repealed the law in a bid to simplify — and expedite — the high court ruling issued Thursday.
The Utah Jazz have extended their losing skid to three games with a loss against the Golden State Warriors. The final score was 114-123.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the night:
Defense folds again under Curry takeover
Utah controlled the first half of this game. At one point they held a 12 point lead.
But at 37 years old, Steph Curry can still do some amazing things. Curry went for 20 points in the third-quarter, frazzled the Jazz, and they never really recovered after that. Part of this was Curry being the greatest shooter of all time, but part of it was Utah struggling to defend at the point of attack and off screens. They weren’t particularly physical, particularly attached, or particularly effective at shrinking Curry’s space. It’s same story from most night’s this season.
The Jazz are a solid offensive team – 16th best in offensive rating to be exact. They continue to lead the league in sharing the ball with a 72% assist rate and have weapons at every level, especially when Walker Kessler returns. But they are still the worst defensive team in the league at 30th in defensive rating. This is good news for pro-tank fans, but bad for the Jazz becoming a competitive team under this core.
Who is Utah’s third piece
Keyonte George is clearly playing at an All-Star and Most Improved Player of the Year level. He finished tonight with 22 points and nine assists. His third-year jump is real and he’s solidified himself as a core of the franchise moving forward.
Lauri Markkanen is still playing at an All-NBA level. He finished tonight with 35 points and five rebounds. He’s one of the best scorers in the league this season and a great companion next to George.
When both of Utah’s stars are playing, it’s easy to convince yourself that the Jazz just need one more core player to pop to enter win-now mode. But it isn’t very clear who that player is. Is it Ace Bailey? Maybe, but that will take another two-three seasons to find out. It’s clear it’s not Cody Williams, Taylor Hendricks, or any other role player on the roster. It’s a shame that Walker Kessler is out for the season, because if the shooting was real, he might be a suitable answer.
The truth is that the next core piece is probably not on the roster right now. Let’s hope that comes from the draft if the Jazz keep their pick.
A note on tonight’s whistle
Praising the referees is usually not something people like to read about, especially when the Jazz lose. I’m doing it anyway, apologies.
Tonight’s crew chief was the fan-favorite Bill Kennedy. He was joined by 16-year veteran Kevin Cutler and 6-year veteran Simone Jelks. The crew did two things that I haven’t seen much of this season:
(1) The crew did not penalize defenders for simply existing while offensive players generated contract. Keyonte George, for one, was someone who struggled with this. George (smartly) has learned that the NBA has decided that offensive players can initiate contact at will, enter the established space of the defender, and be rewarded with free throws. It’s partly why he’s shooting 7.4 free throws a game. In my opinion, this is bad for basketball.
To be clear, I don’t blame George for doing this. The most talented players at manipulating this part of the game are elite scorers in the league (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Austin Reaves, for example). But tonight, the crew didn’t reward George, Curry, Butler, or Markkanen with any of these types of plays and I think it led to a more competitive, faster, and more enjoyable watching experience.
(2) The crew treated Draymond Green like every other player when it comes to technical fouls. It’s no secret that Green gets a much longer leash than most when it comes to berating the officials. Watching him get two technicals after complaining on a meaningless play was nice to see, for once.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lani White scored 25 points to lead Utah past No. 8 TCU 87-77 in overtime Saturday night.
Reese Ross added 15 points and Maty Wilke had 12 for the Utes. Evelina Otto finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Utah (11-4, 2-1 Big 12) made 13 3-pointers and shot 56.5% from long distance.
Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to pace the Horned Frogs (14-1, 2-1). Marta Suarez added 23 points and 11 rebounds. TCU shot just 37% from the field, including 9 of 39 from 3-point range.
White forced overtime by making a 3-pointer that tied it 67-all with 12 seconds left in regulation. Utah never trailed in OT and went up 76-69 with 2:47 left after White capped a 9-2 run with her fourth outside basket.
TCU used a 7-0 spurt to erase a four-point deficit in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Suarez and Donovyn Hunter put TCU up 66-64 with 49 seconds remaining.
Ross had a chance to tie it on two free throws with 33.3 seconds left, but missed both. Miles made one of two foul shots with 22 seconds to go before White tied it.
Utah took advantage of cold shooting by the Horned Frogs to pull ahead in the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Suarez were TCU’s only field goals over an eight-minute stretch. The Utes scored on three straight possessions, culminating in a layup from Wilke, to take a 52-48 lead.
Miles made back-to-back baskets to put the Horned Frogs back up 58-56. Utah used a 7-0 run, punctuated by a 3-pointer from Ross, to go ahead 63-58 with 4:32 left in regulation.
Up next
TCU hosts Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Utah plays at Kansas on Wednesday.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The judge in Utah’s redistricting case filed a ruling making it possible for the Legislature to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court, but not without a strong rebuke of their process.
On Friday, Judge Dianna Gibson ruled partially in favor of the Legislature’s most recent request in the redistricting case, certifying its August 25th ruling as final in order to allow them to appeal to the Utah Supreme Court.
However, she strongly denied their request to enter a final judgment and end the case, saying, “This case is far from over.”
MORE | Utah Redistricting:
File – Utah Congressional Redistricting Maps (Image: KUTV)
“Quite literally – this Court is between the proverbial rock and a hard spot. This entire case is not ‘final,’” Gibson wrote in the ruling. “But the Court agrees that the important legal issues decided by this Court and reflected in each of its rulings … should be reviewed by the Utah Supreme Court as quickly as possible.”
Gibson said it was the legislative defendant’s “duty to seek appellate review” regarding any of her interlocutory, or non-final orders, within 21 days of the rulings. She said they repeatedly claimed they would but never did.
Now, they are requesting she finalize the case, or at the very least one of her orders, to allow them to file an appeal.
Because Gibson does not want to delay appellate review, she agreed to certify the August 25, 2025 Ruling and Order as final.
“Every Utah voter, every Utah congressional candidate and arguably every Utah citizen is impacted by this case. Issuing a final ruling – on even a portion of this case – ultimately serves the public’s interest and will lead to a faster resolution of the entire case,” she wrote.
The redistricting case dates back to 2018, when voters passed a ballot initiative to create a commission to redraw the congressional district boundaries.
State legislators repealed the ballot initiative in 2020, and attempted to draw their own congressional map the following year.
This prompted a lawsuit, which has led to several rulings, including the one on August 25th, which declared that the Utah Legislature violated voters’ rights by approving congressional boundaries that split Salt Lake County.
“Until there is a final decision on these legal issues from our Supreme Court, there will be a cloud on Utah’s congressional elections and an open question regarding the power of the Legislature and the power of the people,” Gibson wrote in her most recent ruling.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
___
News13 minutes ago
Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela
West19 minutes ago
US appeals court strikes down California’s open-carry ban in major Second Amendment ruling
Midwest25 minutes ago
Police seek suspect after dentist and wife found shot dead at home while 2 young children are unharmed
Southwest31 minutes ago
Texas requires students learn about ‘perils of communism’ in sweeping new curriculum overhaul
Southeast37 minutes ago
Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia1 year ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Education2 years ago
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
News13 minutes ago
Cuba says 32 Cuban fighters killed in US raids on Venezuela
Politics11 hours ago
Dan Bongino officially leaves FBI deputy director role after less than a year, returns to ‘civilian life’
World12 hours ago
Hundreds march in silence to honour Crans-Montana fire victims
News12 hours ago
Here’s a partial list of U.S. elected officials opposing Trump’s invasion of Venezuela
Videos15 hours ago
Crans Montana organises solemn march for the victims • FRANCE 24 English
-
World7 days agoHamas builds new terror regime in Gaza, recruiting teens amid problematic election
-
Indianapolis, IN1 week agoIndianapolis Colts playoffs: Updated elimination scenario, AFC standings, playoff picture for Week 17
-
Business1 week agoGoogle is at last letting users swap out embarrassing Gmail addresses without losing their data
-
Southeast1 week agoTwo attorneys vanish during Florida fishing trip as ‘heartbroken’ wife pleads for help finding them
-
World1 week agoSnoop Dogg, Lainey Wilson, Huntr/x and Andrea Bocelli Deliver Christmas-Themed Halftime Show for Netflix’s NFL Lions-Vikings Telecast
-
Politics1 week agoMost shocking examples of Chinese espionage uncovered by the US this year: ‘Just the tip of the iceberg’
-
News1 week agoRoads could remain slick, icy Saturday morning in Philadelphia area, tracking another storm on the way
-
World1 week agoPodcast: The 2025 EU-US relationship explained simply