Arkansas judge revives lawsuit challenging state’s near-total abortion ban

An Arkansas judge revived a lawsuit challenging the state’s near-total abortion ban after reversing her earlier dismissal. The case was initially dismissed due to a 2025 law (Act 975) requiring certain constitutional challenges to be handled by the Arkansas Court of Appeals, but the law was later declared unconstitutional by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Six women and an obstetrician-gynecologist seek to block enforcement of the ban, which criminalizes abortion except to save a pregnant person’s life.