Sherrill Statement on FDA vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine
Sherrill Renews Push to Pass End Judge Shopping Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill – a leading advocate for women’s reproductive freedom – released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in FDA vs. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine:
“Today, women in New Jersey and across the country are breathing a temporary sigh of relief at the Supreme Court’s decision, as Mifepristone remains safe, effective, and legal. But make no mistake – reproductive freedom is under attack and we cannot take comfort in a ruling based on standing alone, leaving the door open for future challenges to abortion rights. That’s why Congress needs to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, the Right to Contraception Act, and reform the Comstock Act so it cannot be weaponized by extreme Washington Republicans to enact a nationwide abortion ban.
“This case should have never made it to the Supreme Court in the first place. Anti-abortion extremists have used a tactic called ‘judge shopping’ to cherry pick outcomes by appearing in lower courts in front of their favorite MAGA Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Congress must address this glaring loophole in our legal system by passing my End Judge Shopping Act so our courts are no longer used to drive a far right political agenda.”
Rep. Sherrill introduced the End Judge Shopping Act of 2023 last year in direct response to the April 2023 decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA. Anti-abortion advocates filed their case in the Amarillo Division of the Northern District of Texas to guarantee Judge Kacsmaryk would hear their case to overturn the FDA’s decades old approval of Mifepristone, a safe and commonly-used form of medication abortion. Extremists were able to use “judge shopping” to pick a division and a judge they knew would rule in their favor with a nationwide injunction. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a major watchdog organization, endorsed the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced similar legislation in April.
Additionally, Sherrill is working to restore public trust in the federal judiciary. In response to high profile ethical scandals by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, she introduced the Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act which would establish a dedicated investigative body and ethics counsel within the Supreme Court that would provide transparency and accountability through exhaustive investigations into alleged ethical improprieties and reports to Congress on its findings.
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