Leaked Supreme Court document indicates emergency abortion protection in Idaho

An attendee at an abortion rights rally holds a sign outside the Idaho Capitol on May 14. The U.S. Supreme CourtÂ’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two landmark abortion cases, triggers a law in Idaho that bans most abortions.
An attendee at an abortion rights rally holds a sign outside the Idaho Capitol on May 14. The U.S. Supreme CourtÂ’s reversal of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, two landmark abortion cases, triggers a law in Idaho that bans most abortions.

REUTERS/ Abaca Press

A draft opinion mistakenly posted to the Supreme Court’s website on Wednesday indicated the justices plan to allow for emergency abortions in Idaho and to dismiss Boise’s appeal. The court later released a statement saying no final decision has been issued, but if the leaked decision holds, it could be a sign conservatives are seeing the need to moderate on abortion.

This doesn’t mean abortion will be federally legal again. By dismissing the case, the justices are punting on the question, but it does mean women in Idaho whose health may be threatened by pregnancy-related issues can get an abortion. The case will not affect other states that have implemented limits or bans on abortion care.

Abortion-related leaks are becoming a pattern. The court’s decision in the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and removed federal abortion protections was also leaked early in 2022 (also an election year), to Politico in that instance. Could it could be a symptom of an increasingly politicized court? Leaking an inflammatory opinion may help politicians rally their bases in the runup to Election Day.

We’re watching for how this decision plays into the rhetoric around abortion at tonight’s presidential debate, and whether it has a measurable effect in November.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says AI can be both a force for good and a tool for harm. “AI has either the possibility of…providing interventions and disruption, or it has the ability to also further harms, increase radicalization, and exacerbate issues of terrorism and extremism online.”

Demonstrators carry the dead body of a man killed during a protest a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two leading opposition candidates at the Namanga One-Post Border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania, as seen from Namanga, Kenya October 30, 2025.
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Tanzania has been rocked by violence for three days now, following a national election earlier this week. Protestors are angry over the banning of candidates and detention of opposition leaders by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Illegal immigrants from Ethiopia walk on a road near the town of Taojourah February 23, 2015. The area, described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as one of the most inhospitable areas in the world, is on a transit route for thousands of immigrants every year from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia travelling via Yemen to Saudi Arabia in hope of work. Picture taken February 23.
REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

7,500: The Trump administration will cap the number of refugees that the US will admit over the next year to 7,500. The previous limit, set by former President Joe Biden, was 125,000. The new cap is a record low. White South Africans will have priority access.

- YouTube

In an era characterized by rapid technological advancement, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence present both challenges and opportunities. At the 2025 Paris Peace Forum, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis engages in an insightful conversation with Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Lisa Monaco, President of Global Affairs at Microsoft, discussing strategies for a secure digital future.

- YouTube

As AI adoption accelerates globally, questions of equity and access are coming to the forefront. Speaking with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 Paris Peace Forum, Chris Sharrock, Vice President of UN Affairs and International Organizations at Microsoft, discusses the role of technology in addressing global challenges.