On February 28, 2006, the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Scheidler v. National Organization for Women that the Hobbs Act did not shield abortion clinics from demonstrations by anti-abortion protestors. The Court stated that the Hobbs Act, which was passed in 1946, covered threats of violence related to extortion and robbery, and that it was not a freestanding defense against physical violence. Additionally, the Court ruled that Congress never intended for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to apply to anti-abortion protestors.

Read an overview of Reproductive Rights in Features.

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