Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other women’s groups filed suits Wednesday challenging abortion laws in Alaska [complaint], Missouri and North Carolina [complaints, PDF]. Citing 42 USC § 1983 [text], which provides a means of attaining injunctive relief for constitutional violations, the cases specifically attack a restriction in Alaska banning abortions at outpatient centers, a standard for surgical center abortion clinics in Missouri that closely resembles one struck down by the Supreme Court [JURIST report] in June, and a law in a North Carolina that prevents doctors from performing abortions after the twentieth week of pregnancy.

While the suits do not list a reason for the timing of the filing, the actions come as President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to fight abortion rights [WSJ report], nears inauguration in January. Though federal courts have consistently upheld abortion rights in the recent past, with rulings in Arkansas, Florida and Indiana [JURIST reports], the future of abortion law [JURIST op-ed] may be shaped by the incoming president’s Supreme Court nominee [NYT report]. Reproductive rights organizations worry that a conservative Supreme Court nominee could significantly alter [WP report] abortion rights in America.