James Battles Texas on New York Shield Law

New York Attorney General Letitia James has stepped into the fray to protect New York’s Shield Law against a brazen attack by Texas. James announced today that she is intervening in a lawsuit filed by Texas attorney general, who aims to enforce his state’s abortion bans within New York courts.

In a move seen as an aggressive defense of reproductive rights, James is challenging the legality of Texas’s attempt to collect a $113,000 judgment against a New York doctor who provided safe, legal telehealth abortions. The lawsuit targets the Ulster County clerk for rejecting the filing under the state’s shield law, which bars courts from enforcing out-of-state judgments against abortion providers.

‘Texas has no authority in New York,’ James declared. ‘Our shield law is designed to protect New Yorkers from out-of-state radicals, and I will not allow this to be eroded. New York stands firm as a safe haven for health care and freedom of choice.’

Passed in 2023 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, New York’s shield law has become a bulwark against out-of-state abortion bans, safeguarding both providers and patients. The case now marks the latest chapter in the ongoing battle between states over reproductive rights.

Despite Texas attorney general’s claims that the shield law violates the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, James is invoking her authority to defend New York’s sovereignty. She will argue that the state has a legal duty to protect its residents and providers from out-of-state overreach.

‘In a time when reproductive freedom faces unprecedented challenges,’ Robin Chappelle Golston of Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts stated, ‘New York must do everything in its power to shield those who seek abortion care and the providers who deliver it.’