NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of a new abortion law that could force two clinics to close.
The Tennessean reports that U.S. District Judge Kevin Sharp ordered the injunction Thursday. It applies to only Davidson and Sullivan counties. It bars their district attorneys from enforcing a law requiring abortion clinics to meet strict new standards.
Those two counties are where clinics face possible closure over the law. The clinics' attorneys claim the state did not grant their clients enough time to meet the standards.
On Monday, Sharp lifted a temporary restraining order preventing enforcement of the law, but he issued the injunction after district attorneys declined to submit statements saying they would not enforce it.
The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of three Tennessee abortion laws.