In this clip, NBC justice correspondent Pete Williams talks about the Supreme Court's decision to hear a challenge to parts of an omnibus Texas antiabortion-rights law (HB 2) in "the most notable abortion case in what could be two decades." According to Pete Williams, the lawsuit challenges HB 2's building code regulations, which require abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers, and HB 2's requirement that abortion providers have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
Williams says, "[T]he importance of this case goes well beyond Texas." He explains that similar restrictions "have been passed by about a dozen other states, [and] about half of those are on hold because of court challenges." He notes, "[I]f the Supreme Court upholds what Texas did, you can be sure that other states will try to do the same. Conversely, if the Supreme Court says Texas went too far, then those efforts in the other states will have to stop" (Williams, MSNBC, 11/13).
