Excerpts:
“Seattle responded to the request by filing a lawsuit in Travis County, stating they cannot comply because Texas has no jurisdiction in Washington State, and no care was provided by the hospital in Texas. They also point out that the Dormant Commerce Clause, protected by the United States Constitution, “protects the right to interstate travel, including to obtain healthcare services.” By targeting out-of-state hospitals for enforcement of laws that only apply within the jurisdiction of Texas, they “discriminate against healthcare based on an interstate element,” violating constitutional protections, according to the legal filing. Lastly, Seattle Children’s Hospital cannot comply due to a shield law passed by Washington State. This law bars the hospital from providing any patient data and from responding to subpoenas pursuant to “protected healthcare services” obtained within the jurisdiction of Washington. Protected healthcare services include abortion, reproductive care, and gender-affirming care.”
“This case promises to be extraordinarily complex. Seattle Children’s Hospital is challenging the jurisdiction of the demands directly in a Texas state court. Regardless of what the local court decides, the claims are likely to go to the Texas Supreme Court. Given that the claims also have a time limit on them and that appeals in Texas automatically favor the attorney general due to an automatic lifting of stays in the state, Seattle Children’s Hospital workers and providers for trans patients from Texas could be under legal jeopardy. Ultimately, the case presents questions of conflicting state laws and regulation of conduct across state lines, and the implications of those laws could be dire for abortion and trans care nationwide.”
Why was the lawsuit filed in Texas and not in Washington State? The hospital is based in Seattle, the people coming for care received that care in Seattle, … Surely Washington state courts should have the final say.
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The people they represent are those most likely to have a reactionary response. While those of us on the left may show up for protests asking for change, those on the right are most likely to make stupid videos of themselves destroying beer that they already purchased. They’re theater-kids who won’t admit it.
As a person who took theater as a kid I object to this comment.
We knew everything we were doing was simply performative.
I’m going to give them more credit than they deserve and say that they do, too. At least at some level.
Well yes, the fascist politicians are being performative as usual, but it’s the Washington hospital that filed in the Texas court, not Texas republicans. If some random loonies from across the continent where to slander and threaten me, then I would go to my local authorities/police/courts to try and put a stop to it. I would not go to loonietown myself to complain about the loonies, because I’d be afraid of finding even more loonies. So the part I don’t get, is why the Washington hospital had to/wanted to file their lawsuit in Texas instead of in Washington.
Because Washington State has no jurisdiction over Texas. The vice versa is the whole point of this suit.
because they haven’t rigged Washington yet