Texas and New York are currently locked in an escalating state’s rights battle over the mailing of abortion pills to patients in states with abortion bans. The central question is whether states must honor one another’s abortion laws. After the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the nationwide right to abortion three years ago, a number of states have passed abortion shield laws that protect health care providers who prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine, and send them to patients in states with abortion bans. Officials in those shield law states are prevented from obeying subpoenas, criminal extradition requests, and other legal actions, that states with abortion bans take against abortion providers. New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has vowed not to enforce Texas’ abortion ban and criminal penalties for abortion providers. Ultimately, this dispute will likely be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
What happens after you receive a federal target letter?
Receiving a target letter is not the same as facing formal charges. However, it shows that federal prosecutors consider you a putative defendant, meaning someone they may seek to charge, and believe substantial evidence connects you to the crime under investigation....
