What to know about how Trump’s judicial picks could reshape abortion rights for decades

Several of President Donald Trump’s candidates to the federal courts have expressed anti-abortion views, been linked to anti-abortion organizations, or supported abortion restrictions, according to an Associated Press review.

Some have participated in cases that have a national influence, such as those involving access to medication abortion, and others have assisted in defending their state’s abortion laws in court.

Even though Trump has stated that states should handle abortion-related matters, the candidates’ lifetime appointments would allow them to restrict abortion rights long after Trump leaves office.

Trump has frequently changed his stance on abortion and frequently provided ambiguous or inconsistent responses.

Trump had expressed support for a federal ban on abortions performed on or after 20 weeks of pregnancy in the years preceding his most recent presidential campaign. He also hinted that he would be in favor of a nationwide ban at 15 weeks. Later, he decided to use the message that governments should have the authority to decide whether or not to provide access to abortion.

In case you missed it, hours after taking office, the Trump administration removes Biden’s webpage about reproductive rights.

Trump has fluctuated between claiming credit for selecting the justices who assisted in overturning Roe v. Wade and adopting a more impartial stance during his campaign. This has been an attempt to bridge the political gap between his base of anti-abortion advocates and the general population, which is generally in favor of abortion access.

One Trump candidate referred to abortion as a “barbaric practice,” and another described himself as an anti-abortion zealot. A Tennessee nominee stated that since abortion is the only medical treatment that ends a life, it merits particular attention.

In a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, one from Missouri disseminated false information regarding medication abortion, claiming that it starves the unborn child to death in the womb.

Abortion rights activists and legal experts caution against a deliberate restructuring of the federal courts that may provide long-term risks to access to abortion across the country.

According to Stanford University constitutional law expert Bernadette Meyler, judicial nominations are a means for the federal government to influence the abortion issue without consulting Congress or issuing a strong, clear declaration.

In contrast to legislation or executive orders that might be more obvious, dramatic, and cause greater backlash, it’s a means of somewhat hiding what is going on in the abortion space, she added.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields stated that each presidential nominee reflects the president’s pledges to the American people and is consistent with the historic decision of the U.S. Supreme Court.

“President Trump’s commonsense approach, which respects the sanctity of human life, permits states to make their own decisions, and prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion, defeated the Democrats’ extreme stance on abortion in November,” Fields told the AP.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump largely addressed immigration and the economy, which polls indicated were the most important problems for Americans.

Although it’s too soon to tell if the nominees would support their goals, anti-abortion activists say they’re optimistic based on the names that have been proposed thus far.

Katie Glenn Daniel, director of legal affairs for the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, stated, “We look forward to four more years of nominees cut from that mold.”

Trump is integrating opponents of abortion into the judiciary, one judge at a time, according to proponents of abortion rights.

Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, said that this only serves to further Trump’s broader strategy of appointing anti-abortion extremists at all levels of government while he has gotten away with distancing himself from abortion by claiming he will leave it to the states.