SCOTUS Abortion Case May Have Voting Rights Ramifications

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision invalidating Texas abortion restrictions could make it harder for states to justify voting restrictions, Stanford Law School’sPamela Karlansaid while speaking at the American Bar Association’s annual meeting earlier this month.

The court’s test for examining abortion rights is doctrinally similar to the test used for voting rights, Karlan told Bloomberg BNA in an interview.

Therefore, the court’s clarification of abortion’s “undue burden” standard could have ramifications for cases challenging recent voting restrictions, like voter identification laws, she said.

It’s a subtle shift, but it means courts will probably be more skeptical of ...