Supreme Court to hear Mississippi abortion case in December

The Supreme Court on Dec. 1 will hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that bans nearly all abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy.

Why it matters: The Mississippi attorney general is asking the court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that set a precedent for the constitutional right to abortion.

• It will be the first abortion case argued before the court since conservatives received a 6-3 majority with Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation.
• The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, could feature some of the most important sex- or abortion-related arguments since Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the right to an abortion in 1992.

The big picture: Several states across the U.S. are passing restrictive abortion-related policies, including Texas, where a law banning abortions after as soon as six weeks of pregnancy went into effect earlier this month.

• The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, allowed the Texas law to continue to be enforced, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the three liberal justices in dissent.

Go deeper:

• Supreme Court agrees to hear major Mississippi abortion case
• Mississippi urges Supreme Court to toss out Roe v. Wade