Trial canceled in North Dakota abortion ban lawsuit as judge ponders dismissal

Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A judge in North Dakota on Monday canceled a trial scheduled for August in a lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion ban as unconstitutional. It wasn’t immediately clear why. State District Judge Bruce Romanick is expected to rule soon on whether to dismiss the complaint in the lawsuit originally filed in 2022 by the formerly sole abortion provider in North Dakota. Plaintiffs, who include the Red River Women’s Clinic and doctors trained in obstetrics, gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine, wanted the August trial to proceed. Special Assistant Attorney General Dan Gaustad said in court last week that the plaintiffs’ case is built on hypotheticals, that the clinic and its medical director — now in Minnesota — lack standing, and that a trial wouldn’t make a difference.