John,

Last week, SCOTUS ruled to temporarily pause restrictions on mifepristone, leaving access and legal standing UNCHANGED for now. And while we’re relieved on behalf of patients and providers, we’re also clear-eyed about the fight ahead.

And given that this case should have been laughed out of court before it even started, we need an explanation about how we got here, ESPECIALLY given all of the shady updates surrounding Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s appointment.

• Kacsmaryk removed his name in 2017 from a pending law review article that was riddled with lies about abortion and trans people, accusing the Obama Administration of yanking rights away from religious health providers who shouldn’t have to “use their pens to prescribe or dispense abortifacient drugs designed to kill unborn children, or “ use their scalpels to make female what God created male.”
• Kacsmaryk went on Christian talk radio twice in 2014 to spread bunk conspiracy theories about LGBTQ people, including the claim that the LGBTQ community is working with the government to silence Christianity THEN failed to disclose those appearances during his Senate confirmation process.
• In his recent financial disclosures, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk wrote that he held between $5 - $25 million in “common stock” of a company – a significant majority of the judge’s personal wealth. The name of the company is redacted, but federal law only allows redactions of information that could “endanger” a judge or their family member.