Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied review in Coalition Life v. City of Carbondale, Illinois, (Docket No. 24-57, certiorari denied 2/24/2025) (Order List.) In the case, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a city ordinance creating a buffer zone around abortion clinics in which sidewalk counselors may not approach closer than 8 feet to those accessing the clinic. The 7th Circuit said it was bound by the Supreme Court's 2000 decision in Hill v. Colorado. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion saying in part:
Following our repudiation in Dobbs, I do not see what is left of Hill. Yet, lower courts continue to feel bound by it. The Court today declines an invitation to set the record straight on Hill’s defunct status. I respectfully dissent.
