Skip to content

Russo v. June Medical Services LLC

Consolidated with:

Docket No. Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
18-1460 Mar 4, 2020 Jun 29, 2020 5-4 Breyer OT 2019

Holding: Louisiana's Unsafe Abortion Protection Act, requiring doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, is unconstitutional.

Judgment: Reversed, 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on June 29, 2020. Justice Breyer announced the judgment of the court and delivered an opinion, in which Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan joined. Chief Justice Roberts filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion. Justice Alito filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Gorsuch joined, Justice Thomas joined except as to Parts III"C and IV"F and Justice Kavanaugh joined as to Parts I, II and III. Justice Gorsuch filed a dissenting opinion. Justice Kavanaugh filed a dissenting opinion.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
05/20/2019Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 24, 2019)
06/03/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 24, 2019 to August 23, 2019, submitted to The Clerk.
06/05/2019Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including August 23, 2019.
06/21/2019Brief amicus curiae of Senator Josh Hawley filed. VIDED.
06/24/2019Brief amicus curiae of Americans United for Life filed.
06/24/2019Amicus brief of 2,556 Operation Outcry Women Hurt By Abortion and The Justice Foundation not accepted for filing. (June 24, 2019 -- Corrected version to be submitted)
06/24/2019Brief amici curiae of State of Indiana, et al. filed.
06/24/2019Amicus brief of American Center for Law and Justice not accepted for filing. (June 27, 2019)(Corrected version submitted)
06/24/2019Brief amicus curiae of American Center for Law and Justice filed.
06/24/2019Brief amici curiae of 2,556 Operation Outcry Women Hurt By Abortion and The Justice Foundation filed.
08/23/2019Brief of respondents June Medical Services L.L.C., et al. in opposition filed.
09/09/2019Reply of petitioner Rebekah Gee, Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals filed.
09/11/2019DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/1/2019.
10/04/2019Petition GRANTED. The petition for a writ of certiorari in No. 18-1323 is granted. The cases are consolidated and a total of one hour is allotted for oral argument.
10/04/2019Because the Court has consolidated these cases for briefing and oral argument, future filings and activity in the cases will now be reflected on the docket of No. 18-1323. Subsequent filings in these cases must therefore be submitted through the electronic filing system in No. 18-1323. Each document submitted in connection with one or more of these cases must include on its cover the case number and caption for each case in which the filing is intended to be submitted. Where a filing is submitted in fewer than all of the cases, the docket entry will reflect the case number(s) in which the filing is submitted; a document filed in all of the consolidated cases will be noted as “VIDED.”
11/26/2019SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. VIDED.
01/09/2020Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 5th Circuit.
01/10/2020The record from the U.S.C.A. 5th circuit is electronic and located on PACER.
01/21/2020CIRCULATED
03/04/2020Argued. For June Medical Services L.L.C., et al.: Julie Rikelman, New York, N. Y. For Stephen Russo, Interim Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals: Elizabeth Murrill, Solicitor General, Baton Rouge, La.; and Jeffrey B. Wall, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. (for United States, as amicus curiae.) VIDED.
06/29/2020Judgment REVERSED. Breyer, J., announced the judgment of the Court and delivered an opinion, in which Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Roberts, C. J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment. Thomas, J., filed a dissenting opinion. Alito, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Gorsuch, J., joined, in which Thomas, J., joined except as to Parts III–C and IV–F, and in which Kavanaugh, J., joined as to Parts I, II, and III. Gorsuch, J., and Kavanaugh, J., filed dissenting opinions. VIDED.
07/31/2020JUDGMENT ISSUED.