Oklahoma’s Appeal of Covid Abortion Order Dismissed as Moot

Oklahoma’s appeal from a decision blocking a Covid-19 executive order that threatened to shut down abortions in the state during its duration is dismissed as moot, because Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) order expired April 30, the Tenth Circuit said Tuesday.

But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit refused to vacate the preliminary injunction that was the subject of the appeal. There was no reason to depart from the usual vacatur practice of allowing a lower court’s interlocutory order to stand when an appeal from it becomes moot, the court said in an unsigned opinion.

Oklahoma argued against ...