New York clerk again refuses to enforce Texas judgment against doctor
who provided abortion pills
[July 15, 2025]
By MICHAEL HILL
A county clerk in New York on Monday again refused to file a more than
$100,000 civil judgment from Texas against a doctor accused of
prescribing abortion pills to a Dallas-area woman.
New York is among eight states with shield laws that protect providers
from other states’ reach. Abortion opponents claim the laws violate a
constitutional requirement that states respect the laws and legal
judgments of other states.
Republican Texas State Attorney General Ken Paxton wants a New York
court to enforce a civil decision from Texas against Dr. Margaret
Carpenter, who practices north of New York City in Ulster County, for
allegedly prescribing abortion medication via telemedicine.
Acting Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck in March refused an initial
request to file the judgment, citing the New York law that shields
abortion providers who serve patients in states with abortion bans. A
second demand was made last week by the Texas attorney general's office,
which said Bruck had a “statutory duty” to make the filing under New
York civil practice law.
Bruck responded Monday that the rejection stands.
“While I’m not entirely sure how things work in Texas, here in New York,
a rejection means the matter is closed,” Bruck wrote in a letter to
Texas officials.
An email seeking comment was sent to Paxton's office.
[to top of second column]
|
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton attends a roundtable discussion at
the Community Operations Center, Friday July 11, 2025 in Kerrville,
Texas, where President Trump and Gov. Abbott met with first
responders and local officials one week after an devastating flash
flood. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
 The Texas case is one of two
involving Carpenter that could end up testing shield laws.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul this year
invoked the state's shield law in rejecting a request to extradite
Carpenter to Louisiana, where the doctor was charged with
prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor.
Hochul, responding to the latest request from Paxton's office,
claimed he was attempting to dictate “the personal decisions of
women across America.”
“Our response to their baseless claim is clear: no way in hell. New
York won’t be bullied," she said in a prepared statement. "And I’ll
never back down from this fight.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
