Judge Asked to Decide Permanent Fate of Georgia Abortion Law

After a federal judge temporarily blocked Georgia's restrictive abortion law, lawyers for the state and for opponents of the measure are battling in court over whether the law should be permanently barred from taking effect. The state's governor signed the law in May. A lawsuit challenging it was filed in June on behalf of Georgia abortion providers and an advocacy group. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in October temporarily blocked the law. Lawyers for the law's opponents and lawyers for the state on Thursday filed motions for summary judgment. That means each side is asking the judge to rule in its favor based on the facts in the case without going to trial.