North Dakota’s Near-Total Abortion Ban Blocked Pending Review

Abortion continues to be legal in North Dakota for now, as a state court judge blocked a near-total ban while litigation to determine its validity under the state’s constitution moves forward.

Presiding Judge Bruce Romanick of the Burleigh County District Court granted Red River Women’s Clinic’s motion to block the state’s trigger ban. The law was designed to take effect 30 days after the state’s attorney general certified to lawmakers that the US Supreme Court had issued a judgment restoring North Dakota’s ability to prohibit abortion.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley (R) made the required certification in July, after Romanick held ...