The Justice Department is appealing a Texas court ruling that would halt approval of a drug used in the most common method of abortion in the U.S. In its appeal Monday, the Justice Department called the decision “extraordinary and unprecedented.” The request to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was filed just days after conflicting court rulings over the legality of the abortion medication mifepristone put in doubt access to the drug that has been widely available for more than 20 years. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued his decision Friday but ruled it would not take effect for seven days. The Biden administration on Monday asked the New Orleans-based appellate court to extend the pause on the Texas order.
