A Message from Congresswoman Sherrill

Dear Friends,

As the fight to protect access to abortion continues, I am writing to share how I am taking action with my new legislation to stop the unfair practice of “judge-shopping.” 

Judge-shopping is a known tactic anti-abortion advocates use to cherry-pick a court and outcome by filing lawsuits in single-judge divisions where they are all but assured to get a favorable ruling. This is what took place in the Amarillo division of the Northern District of Texas where Judge Kacsmaryk ruled against 23 years of FDA approval of Mifepristone, a medication abortion pill used in 54% of all abortions in America.

My new bill prevents shopping for judges and predetermining the outcome of a case that would result in a decision that impacts people across the country.

Read more about my legislation here

Anti-abortion extremists want to roll back women’s access to basic reproductive health and are completely out of touch with the majority of Americans. They are now using court loopholes to attack the rights and freedoms of women across the country. 

My bill would have prevented the recent case where the lone judge sitting in Amarillo, with little understanding of women’s health, ordered a nationwide ban on Mifepristone. It is my hope that this legislation would also help restore people’s faith in our courts. You can continue reading about my fight to protect abortion access and my new bill here.

Also, in case you missed it, I joined leaders from Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Agile Therapeutics for a panel discussion on the current threats to abortion access in New Jersey. Watch a recording of the panel here.

In states like New Jersey, we have enacted necessary abortion protection laws but cases like Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration threaten our freedoms. Extreme anti-choice activists won’t stop pursuing their ultimate goal of banning abortion nationwide. I will continue to be a proactive fighter for women’s health and autonomy in Congress.

Sincerely,

Mikie Sherrill
Member of Congress