Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Taylor Bruck, the acting clerk of Ulster County, New York, over Bruck’s refusal to file a Texas court’s summary judgment and summons related to a New York doctor accused of mailing abortion pills to a patient in Texas. Paxton’s petition seeks a writ of mandamus compelling Bruck to enforce the Texas ruling in New York state court. Bruck has twice declined, citing New York’s telehealth abortion shield law that protects doctors from out-of-state abortion-related legal actions.
Bruck, in a statement, said he is defending New York’s Shield Law and expressed pride in serving Ulster County during a critical moment for protecting fundamental rights under state law. The doctor, Margaret Daley Carpenter, faces allegations for mailing abortion medication to Texas, where abortion is highly restricted and where she is not licensed. After Carpenter failed to respond to Paxton’s civil lawsuit in Texas, a judge imposed a $100,000 penalty and an injunction. However, New York’s shield law blocks enforcement of such rulings. This legal clash highlights tensions between states with opposing abortion laws. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized Paxton’s actions, calling them extremist efforts to punish doctors providing legal abortion care, while Paxton vowed to enforce Texas’s pro-life laws against those distributing abortion drugs into the state.