Texas AG seeks legal action against New York official protecting law-breaking abortionist

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a legal petition Monday against the New York Acting County Clerk for Ulster County, Taylor Bruck, after Bruck’s office twice refused to file a summary judgement against New York abortionist Dr. Margaret Carpenter for violating Texas laws.

Key Takeaways:

• Paxton’s petition seeks legal action to force Bruck to file the legal judgment imposed on Carpenter by a Texas judge. Carpenter was issued a fine exceeding $100,000, as well as an injunction to no longer mail abortion pills into the state.

• Bruck has twice refused to file the legal judgement, citing New York’s “shield laws” that protect abortionists who violate the laws of other states.

The Backstory:

In December 2024, Paxton sued Carpenter after she mailed the abortion pill to a Texas woman via telemedicine. Carpenter is one of founders of the online abortion pill distributor, Hey Jane. The woman experienced complications after taking the drugs, including severe bleeding, and had to seek emergency medical care.

In the lawsuit, Paxton requested that the court place an injunction on Carpenter from continuing to distribute the abortion pill in violation of Texas law and fine her $100,000 for each violation of the law. In February, a Texas judge granted Paxton’s request, issuing Carpenter a fine and ordering her to stop mailing the abortion drugs into the state.

Despite the judge’s order, in March, Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck refused to file the summary judgment against Carpenter, which would have required her to pay the $100,000 fine. Bruck invoked New York’s “shield law” — which protects law-breaking abortionists — in ignoring the court order.

“In accordance with the New York State Shield Law, I have refused this filing and will refuse any similar filings that may come to our office,” wrote Bruck at the time. “Since this decision is likely to result in further litigation, I must refrain from discussing specific details about the situation.”

Bruck refused the Texas order a second time on July 15, prompting Paxton’s latest legal action.

The Details:

Paxton’s legal petition seeks a writ of mandamus to ensure that Carpenter is forced to pay the more than $100,000 fine. A writ of mandamus is an order from a court issued to a government official who has refused to perform his or her duties.

“Dr. Carpenter is a radical abortionist who must face justice, not get legal protection from New York liberals intent on ending the lives of as many unborn children as they can,” said Attorney General Paxton. “No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws.”

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