Trump DOJ asks court to pause lawsuit challenging FDA approval of mail-order abortion drugs
January 29, 2026
The Trump administration is asking a federal court to pause Louisiana’s lawsuit challenging the mailing of the abortion drug mifepristone while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does a safety evaluation.
The Christian Post reports that the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has filed a request in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, in the case of The State of Louisiana et al v. the U.S. FDA, et al.
The request notes that the FDA is currently “reviewing the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for mifepristone,” and suggests that the drug should remain available for mail order while the review is being conducted.
The document, filed on Tuesday, states: “Given this widespread debate over the safety of mifepristone, FDA has concluded that the best path forward is for the agency to reconsider the restrictions on mifepristone based on all the evidence before the agency.”
The request goes on to say, “Plaintiffs’ requested relief may prove as unnecessary as it is disruptive, if FDA ultimately decides that the in-person dispensing requirement must be restored.”
According to the Christian Post, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is unhappy with the DOJ’s motion, calling it, in a post on X, “an affront to our sovereignty and the dignity of women and the unborn.”
Louisiana filed a complaint against the FDA last October over the federal body allowing abortion pills to be mailed into the state from other places, a policy enacted during the Biden administration.
In 2024, Louisiana passed legislation that labeled the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as dangerous controlled substances, effectively banning them from the state.
Murrill joined pro-life activists and Republican lawmakers earlier this month at a press conference to urge the Trump administration to crack down on the shipment of abortion drugs across state lines.
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