In what may escalate to a landmark Supreme Court battle over abortion rights, acting Ulster County Clerk, Taylor Bruck, has refused to comply with a Texas court request to file summary judgement against Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter for violating Texas abortion laws.
Carpenter, a New Paltz physician, was sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in December for prescribing and mailing abortion medication to a Texas resident via telehealth, despite not being licensed in the state. The lawsuit is part of Texas’ aggressive enforcement of its near-total abortion ban, which allows civil penalties and citizen lawsuits against abortion providers.
Hudson Valley One reached out to the Texas Attorney General for comment, and he responded: “I am outraged that New York would refuse to allow Texas to pursue enforcement of a civil judgment against a radical abortionist illegally peddling dangerous drugs across state lines. New York is shredding the Constitution to hide lawbreakers from justice, and it must end. I will not stop my efforts to enforce Texas’s pro-life laws that protect our unborn children and mothers.”
The acting Ulster County Clerk, Taylor Bruck, cited New York’s recently enacted Shield Law in rejecting Texas’ request to file a summary judgment against Carpenter, marking the first time such a law has been invoked. Shield laws, passed in eight states, protect abortion providers from out-of-state legal actions, barring extradition and legal cooperation with states enforcing abortion bans. The unprecedented move may set the stage for a Supreme Court showdown between states that ban abortion and those that legally shield providers offering services across state lines.
New York officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, backed Bruck’s decision, asserting that New York will protect reproductive healthcare providers from out-of-state prosecution. Hochul previously refused an extradition request from Louisiana, where Carpenter faces felony charges for prescribing abortion pills. Locally, the New Paltz Town Board passed a resolution supporting Carpenter in February.
Bruck acknowledged that Texas could pursue legal action against him, Ulster County, or New York State, but maintained that rejecting the filing was legally sound. He emphasized that complying with Texas’ request would have exposed the county to legal risk either way. For now, Texas may either take further legal steps or drop the case, but the dispute underscores the deepening legal divide over abortion rights in the U.S.
Hochul praised Bruck, summarizing his response as “hell no.”
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