Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Preliminary Relief Denied In Challenge To Georgia Anti-Abortion Law

In Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective v. State of Georgia, (GA Super. Ct., Aug. 15, 2022), a Georgia state trial court refused to grant a preliminary injunction to prevent enforcement of Georgia's LIFE Act while its constitutionality is being litigated. The Act, with limited exceptions, bars abortions once a heartbeat is detectable. The court held that Georgia's constitutional provision that waives sovereign immunity for an injunction after the award of declaratory relief does not waive sovereign immunity for a preliminary injunction before declaratory relief has been granted. The Georgia ACLU issued a press release discussing the decision.