Preliminary Injunction Dissolved in Abortion Case

Texas Medical Providers v. Lakey, No. 11-50814 (Jan. 10, 2012), is a high-profile constitutional challenge to Texas laws requiring a physician who performs an abortion to show a sonogram to the woman.  The Fifth Circuit reversed a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the statute, finding that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a substantial likelihood of success on their First Amendment and vagueness challenges.  While most of the thorough opinion reviews the highly specific constitutional principles in this area, its treatment of the “likelihood of success” factor for a preliminary injunction is also of general interest to civil litigators.