{"id":2602908,"date":"2026-05-14T19:28:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-helping-undermine-dobbs-with-abortion-drug-ruling\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T19:30:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T23:30:31","slug":"thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-helping-undermine-dobbs-with-abortion-drug-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-helping-undermine-dobbs-with-abortion-drug-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas, Alito Blast SCOTUS For &#8216;Undermining&#8217; Dobbs Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthomas-alito-blast-scotus-for-helping-undermine-dobbs-with-abortion-drug-ruling%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602908&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito sharply criticized the Supreme Court\u2019s \u201cremarkable\u201d order that temporarily paused a Fifth Circuit ruling affecting a Biden-era FDA policy. That policy allows mifepristone to be mailed without requiring an in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fda-will-no-longer-require-in-person-doctor-visits-for-abortion-pill\/\" title=\"FDA Will No Longer Require In-Person Doctor Visits for ... Pill\">-person doctor visit<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Fifth circuit had saeid the FDA\u2019s decision to loosen \u201cmifepristone\u201d safeguards likely wasn\u2019t supported by adequate data and that the FDA acknowledged \u201cprocedural deficits\u201d and \u201clack of adequate consideration.\u201d Although seven justices agreed to the temporary pause while the case proceeds, Thomas and Alito dissented.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas argued the drug makers and distributors failed to meet the legal burden for interim relief, emphasizing that shipping mifepristone for abortion can be a criminal violation under the Comstock Act. He also said they cannot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-allows-trump-administration-to-freeze-billions-in-foreign-aid-but-challenge-remains-alive\/\" title=\"Appeals court allows Trump administration to freeze billions in foreign aid but challenge remains alive\">claim irreparable harm<\/a> from an order that makes it harder to commit crimes. Alito called the majority\u2019s action unreasoned and accused it of enabling efforts to undermine *Dobbs*, which <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >returned abortion regulation largely<\/a> to individual states.<\/p>\n<p>Both dissents contend that the companies\u2019 arguments about imminent harm lack legal force, especially as-at least at the moment-the Fifth Circuit\u2019s order does not appear to promptly alter the situation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito had some choice words for their Supreme Court colleagues on Thursday over their \u201cremarkable\u201d decision \u201cundermin[ing]\u201d the court\u2019s historic <em>Dobbs<\/em> decision overturning <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p>The stinging rebukes came in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25a1207_21p3.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">order<\/a> the high court handed down to temporarily pause an appellate court <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/02\/appeals-court-blocks-fda-policy-that-let-abortionists-traffick-deadly-illegal-drugs-by-mail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruling<\/a> that halted a Biden-era FDA rule allowing the mailing of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/mifepristone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mifepristone<\/a> to women without an in-person doctor visit. In agreeing to halt the policy, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the FDA\u2019s \u201cprogressive relaxation of mifepristone\u2019s guardrails likely lacked a basis in data and scientific literature,\u201d and noted how the \u201cFDA\u00a0itself now concedes the regulations were marred by \u2018procedural deficits\u2019 and a \u2018lack of adequate consideration.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While seven justices agreed to temporarily pause the 5th Circuit\u2019s order while litigation in the case continues, Thomas and Alito authored brutal dissents underscoring the illogical nature of their colleagues\u2019 decision. <\/p>\n<p>Thomas said that he would deny the application brought by the dangerous drug\u2019s manufacturers and distributors to pause the appellate court\u2019s order \u201cbecause they have not satisfied their burden for securing interim relief.\u201d He separately noted his agreement with Louisiana \u2014 which challenged the Biden-era rule \u2014 that \u201cit is a criminal offense to ship mifepristone for use in abortions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Comstock Act bans using \u2018the mails\u2019 to ship any \u2018drug \u2026 for producing abortion.\u2019 \u2026 A neighboring provision makes it a felony to use \u2018any express company or other common carrier or interactive computer service\u2019 to ship \u2018any drug \u2026 designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion,\u2019\u201d Thomas wrote. \u201cApplicants \u2018[s]hip mifepristone \u2026 to certified pharmacies,\u2019 which, in turn, must \u2018ship mifepristone using a shipping service\u2019 to users. \u2026 As relevant to this case, mifepristone shipped to Louisiana, which bans abortion, causes nearly 1,000 abortions per month. \u2018All of this violates the Comstock Act.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Bush 41 appointee went on to note how the mifepristone manufacturers and distributors aren\u2019t entitled to a stay from the court \u201cbased on lost profits from their criminal enterprise.\u201d He subsequently concluded that they can\u2019t, \u201cin any legally relevant sense, be irreparably harmed by a court order that makes it more difficult for them to commit crimes,\u201d and that \u201cwhereas it would \u2018serve the public interest\u2019 to \u2018reduc[e]\u2019 applicants\u2019 \u2018opportunity to commit crimes,\u2019 \u2026 a stay would have the opposite effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Alito characterized the court\u2019s \u201cunreasoned order\u201d in the case as \u201cremarkable.\u201d He further admonished the majority for seemingly greenlighting efforts to \u201cundermine\u201d the court\u2019s 2022 <em>Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization<\/em> decision, which \u201crestored the right of each State to decide how to regulate abortions within its borders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome States responded to <em>Dobbs<\/em> by making it even easier to obtain an abortion than it was before, and that is their prerogative. Other States, including Louisiana, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-the-one-democrat-who-voted-against-the-partys-abortion-bill\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s The One Democrat Who Voted Against The Party\u2019s ... Bill\">made abortion illegal<\/a> except in narrow circumstances,\u201d Alito wrote. \u201cBut Louisiana\u2019s efforts have been thwarted by certain medical providers, private organizations, and States that abhor laws like Louisiana\u2019s and seek to undermine their enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In describing medical providers\u2019 and private organizations\u2019 \u201coperation\u201d to ship mifepristone to women in states like Louisiana, Alito noted how the drug\u2019s manufacturers and distributors \u201care obviously aware\u201d of the efforts to sidestep pro-life protections \u201cyet nevertheless supply the drug and reap profits from its felonious use in [the state].\u201d He additionally highlighted how \u201c[t]his scheme would not have been possible under FDA regulations had the federal government not taken steps\u201d under the Biden administration \u201cto facilitate mail-order abortions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Bush 43 appointee delved into the Trump FDA\u2019s pledge to conduct a study into the \u201cinadequate\u201d safety standards and how the lack of action from the current administration ultimately prompted Louisiana to file its lawsuit \u201cto stop ongoing schemes to subvert its abortion laws.\u201d In doing so, he explained that he would deny the applicants\u2019 request to pause the 5th Circuit\u2019s order \u201cbecause, as things now stand, the manufacturers have failed to show that they face irreparable injury, without which this Court may not grant a stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnless the Fifth Circuit\u2019s order spurs the FDA into moving on its safety review, there is no indication that the Fifth Circuit\u2019s order will adversely affect the manufacturers whatsoever in the near future. All the evidence is to the contrary,\u201d Alito wrote. \u201cSo, at present, it is most unlikely that the manufacturers would be at all affected by the Fifth Circuit\u2019s order for quite some time. That could conceivably change if the Fifth Circuit\u2019s order were left in place and the FDA were spurred to speed up its safety review, but our disposition of this application cannot be predicated on the assumption that that will occur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alito conclusively echoed Thomas\u2019 assessment that the \u201cirreparable injury\u201d arguments put forward by mifepristone\u2019s manufacturers and distributors hold no legal weight. He noted that, because their claims do not show \u201cany imminent risk\u201d of harm, \u201cthe Court must deny these applications regardless of how they fare on the other stay factors.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justices Thomas and Alito sharply criticized a Supreme Court pause tied to an FDA mifepristone ruling, calling it \u201cremarkable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2602909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Supreme-Court.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[79697,6994,10215],"class_list":["post-2602908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-alito-blast","tag-scotus","tag-thomas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Supreme-Court.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602908"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602908\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602912,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602908\/revisions\/2602912"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}