New York county clerk rejects Texas’s effort to fine doctor in abortion pill case

A New York doctor faced a $113,000 penalty from Texas after being accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines

A New York county clerk again rejected an effort by Texas to fine a New York-based doctor accused of shipping abortion pills across state lines, in a case that could tee up a US supreme court showdown between states that protect abortion access and those that ban it.

On Monday, acting Ulster county clerk Taylor Bruck rejected a court filing by Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, which sought to collect a $113,000 penalty against Dr Margaret Carpenter. Paxton had sued Carpenter in December 2024 over allegations she shipped abortion pills to a Texas woman in defiance of the state's ban on virtually all abortions. When Carpenter didn't show up to a court hearing earlier this year, a judge automatically ruled against her and ordered her to pay the fine as well as stop mailing pills to Texas.