Judge suspends Michigan’s dormant 1931 abortion ban
A judge on Tuesday suspended Michigan’s dormant, decades-old ban on abortion, which means the procedure would not be illegal in the state even if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its historic Roe v. Wade decision.
The Michigan law, which makes it a crime to assist in an abortion, has been on the books since 1931. But it has had no practical effect since 1973 when the Supreme Court legalized abortion nationwide.
The court, however, could throw out that landmark ruling before July, leaving abortion issues for each state to decide.
Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher granted a preliminary injunction sought by Planned Parenthood of Michigan, saying the abortion ban likely violates the Michigan Constitution.
“After 50 years of legal abortion in Michigan, there can be no doubt but that the right of personal autonomy and bodily integrity enjoyed by our citizens includes the right of a woman, in consultation with her physician, to terminate a pregnancy,” the judge said.
New Mexico wildfire is largest in state history
The colossal wildfire tearing through forests east of Santa Fe, N.M., is now the largest in New Mexico’s history.
The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire had burned 299,565 acres as of Tuesday and was 26% contained, officials said, surpassing the Whitewater-Baldy Fire, which burned 297,845 acres in southern New Mexico in 2012.
The fire is the largest in a series of wildfires to rip through New Mexico this spring, fueled by abnormally warm, windy and dry weather in recent weeks, as fire season in the West stretches earlier into the spring and later into the winter.
The cause of the Calf Canyon fire, which started on April 19 northwest of Las Vegas, is still under investigation. On April 23, it merged with the nearby Hermits Peak fire, which started April 6.
Hezbollah, allies lose majority in parliament
Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group and its allies lost their parliamentary majority, final elections results showed Tuesday, while more than a dozen independent newcomers gained seats. The outcome signaled a shift in a country devastated by an ongoing financial meltdown and soaring poverty.
Formal results for Sunday’s elections showed no clear majority for any group. That indicates a fragmented and polarized parliament divided between pro- and anti-Hezbollah lawmakers who will likely find it difficult to work together to form a new government and enact desperately needed reforms.
The Hezbollah-led coalition won 61 seats in the 128member legislature, a drop of 10 members since the last vote was held four years ago. It’s a loss largely due to setbacks suffered by the Iran-backed group’s political partners and was not expected to weaken its own domination of Lebanese politics. All 13 Hezbollah candidates who ran got elected.