Abortion pill mifepristone legality likely headed to Supreme Court
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Editor's note: This story was updated at 850p ET to reflect a second court ruling.

The battle over the abortion pill is likely headed to the US Supreme Court after two federal judges on Friday offered differing opinions in the legality of the drug.

First, on Friday, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's suspended the US FDA's approval of mifepristone. His decision is essentially an injunction preventing sales of the drug while a case before him, brought by anti-abortion groups, on the approval of the drug continues.
However, a matter of hours after the Texas ruling, Washington State District Judge Thomas Rice ruled that the FDA needs to continue "the status quo" with respect to access to mifepristone, The Washington Post reported.
Kacsmaryk gave the Biden administration a week to appeal the decision. During this time, the suspension will be delayed, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In his ruling, the judge said that the US FDA had made legal errors in its approval. Mifepristone, approved in 2000, also goes by the brand name Mifeprex.
Large pharmacy chains, including CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA), and Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) have faced pressure from many state attorneys general who want to block access to the drug and other politicians who want to make sure it will remain available.

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