'What’s really changed?' Iowa Republicans 'don’t know' if their 6-week abortion ban will succeed

11 August 2023

Iowa's Supreme Court blocked a GOP-proposed 6-week abortion ban from moving forward in June, writing, "One member of the court is conflicted out from this case, so the court is deadlocked 3–3 and the district court ruling is affirmed by operation of law."

According to NBC, "Dana Oxley, a conservative Reynolds appointee, recused herself because her former law firm represented the Emma Goldman Clinic, an abortion and women’s health care clinic that was a plaintiff in the original case."

Determined to pass the ban, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds held a special legislative session in July "for the sole task of passing abortion restrictions."

Following the special session, the state passed the Republican-backed law.

However, now NBC reports:

Much of the excitement has dimmed amid questions over whether a conservative justice, whose recusal in the first case led to that outcome, will again sit it out. Such a decision could, once more, scramble conservative efforts to keep the strict abortion law in place.

NBC also notes:

The same group of reproductive rights groups that sued to block the first ban — including the Emma Goldman Clinic — filed to block the latest ban. A state district court granted a temporary injunction, Reynolds' administration appealed, and the case will soon be back in front of the state Supreme Court.

"We don't know for certain what will happen," GOP attorney Alan Ostergren said. "But the way the order read, it was signed by the chief justice for the court, and there was no noted recusal there. That doesn't mean that she couldn't recuse in the future, but I take that as evidence that she will participate."

Ex-Iowa GOP political director Craig Robinson added, "I'm in the camp of why wouldn't she [recuse herself again]? Like, what's really changed here?"

NBC's full report is available at this link.

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