High Court Rejects Challenges to Abortion-Clinic Bubble Zones

The U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed abortion opponents by leaving intact a precedent that lets states and cities prevent people from approaching women without consent as they are entering a clinic.

The justices turned away two appeals that called for reconsidering the 2000 decision, which upheld Colorado’s 8-foot bubble zone around people when they are near the entrance to a clinic. The dual rejections let stand clinic-access laws in Chicago and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Justice Clarence Thomas said he would have heard the Chicago case.

The justices on Thursday also told lower courts to reconsider two rulings that blocked abortion restrictions in ...