United States: Illinois Supreme Court Reinforces Patient Safety In New BIPA Ruling - Ropes & Gray LLP

US Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case , That Could Impact Nationwide , Abortion Pill Access. On December 13, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case regarding the most widely-used abortion pill in the nation. 'The Guardian' reports that it will be the first time the highest court hears an abortion rights case since overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. The case could determine the future of access to the pill and the Federal Drug Administration's authority to regulate a number of medications. Last year, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a group of anti-abortion organizations and doctors, filed a federal lawsuit against the FDA. The lawsuit accuses the agency of overstepping its authority by approving mifepristone, one of two drugs commonly used in abortions, in 2000. In April, a federal judge in Texas suspended the FDA's approval of mifepristone and had the medication pulled from the market. In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the FDA should significantly restrict access to mifepristone. . In response, the Biden administration and Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, called on the Supreme Court to hear the case. In response, the Biden administration and Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of mifepristone, called on the Supreme Court to hear the case. The Supreme Court paused lower-court rulings until justices issue a judgement, resulting in mifepristone remaining widely available in states where abortions are legal. The Supreme Court paused lower-court rulings until justices issue a judgement, resulting in mifepristone remaining widely available in states where abortions are legal. However, 'The Guardian' reports that the outcome of the case would impact all 50 states, including those with protected abortion rights.

In another explosive year for Illinois Biometric Privacy Act ("BIPA") litigation, the Illinois Supreme Court handed down a new interpretation of BIPA that...