Judge recuses himself in Utah Planned Parenthood defunding case

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups has recused himself from the ongoing legal battle over whether Utah has the legal right to defund Planned Parenthood.

He did not elaborate on his reasons for the move. The case has been reassigned to Judge Dee Benson.

In December, Waddoups ruled that Utah had the right to decide for itself whether Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state received $275,000 in taxpayer’s money, which was to be redirected to local health care agencies. However, last month the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals placed a preliminary injunction on the state’s effort to defund the abortion giant.

This was despite the fact that, as Live Action News has previously covered, states routinely exercise discretion over which organizations they deem appropriate to contract with, discretion which is not normally met with controversy or lawsuits.

The change of judges could stack the deck further in Planned Parenthood’s favor, as Benson has issued multiple rulings against pro-life laws in the past.