Judges Forced To Restore North Dakota’s Abortion Ban After Constitutional Fight Over ‘Vagueness’

A North Dakota law prohibiting nearly all abortions is back on the books just over a year after it was struck down, following a state supreme court ruling Friday.

While three of the court’s five justices agreed to uphold a district court judge’s September 2024 order declaring the law “unconstitutionally void for vagueness,” North Dakota requires at least four justices to agree in order for a state law to be deemed unconstitutional, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

While the law in question had been deemed “void for vagueness” for over a year, the state has not had a facility able to perform legal abortions since 2022, Reuters reported.

All three of the justices who opted to uphold the ruling striking down the law were appointed to the bench by Republican governors. North Dakota has not had a Democratic governor since 1992.

North Dakota is now one of 13 states in which abortion is restricted at all stages of pregnancy, according to AP. All of the states voted for President Donald Trump by double-digit margins in the 2024 presidential election.

“The Supreme Court has upheld this important pro-Life