WASHINGTON, June 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court said it will hear abortion rights-related cases next term, including one that deals with abortion protesters' actions at clinics.
CNN said the nation's highest court will decide whether racketeering laws can be applied to people who stage protests outside abortion clinics. In 1988, the court said the laws could be used against the protesters but in 2003 the Supreme Court reversed that decision.
Abortion rights supporters say applying racketeering laws to the protesters cut down on illegal and sometimes violent acts against people at clinics. Anti-abortion protesters say their actions are protected by the First Amendment.
The court is also to consider a case from New Hampshire dealing with access to abortion, CNN said. A federal appeals court has thrown out a state law about parental notification because it doesn't include adequate exceptions in case of an emergency. State officials claim it does.
