A federal judge on Monday, August 31, 2026, paused a lawsuit by Florida and Texas that seeks to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor issued the order while the administration of President Donald Trump conducts a review of the medication's safety. The pause is scheduled to remain in effect until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finishes its review or until December 1, whichever occurs first.
The legal challenge, filed in December 2025, targets the FDA's original approval of mifepristone in 2000. It also contests regulatory changes made during the Obama and Biden administrations that expanded how the drug can be accessed, such as a 2023 rule permitting the medication to be sent through the mail. Judge O'Connor, an appointee of President George W. Bush, noted that both the Republican attorneys general representing the states and the FDA agreed to the stay.
In the same ruling, O'Connor denied a request to dismiss the lawsuit. That request was filed by Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, the manufacturers of mifepristone that joined the case as intervenors. The FDA originally announced it would study the safety of the drug last year, though the study has reportedly been delayed until after the November midterm elections. The offices of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier did not immediately comment on the decision.
The outcome of the FDA's safety review and the eventual lifting of this stay could alter access. If the court eventually rules in favor of the states, it could lead to the reversal of mail-order dispensing or the 2000 approval itself. Since the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, nearly half of U.S. states have implemented bans or severe restrictions. This has resulted in a surge in medication abortions, making federal FDA regulations a central point of legal conflict.
What happens next depends on the timing of the FDA's safety findings. If the review is not completed by December 1, 2026, the stay may expire, potentially allowing the litigation to resume. A similar lawsuit in Louisiana was also put on hold by a judge in April 2026. The manufacturers, GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories, remain parties to the suit following the judge's refusal to dismiss the case.