
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a pro-life challenge against protest restrictions around abortion clinics in Illinois, as activists argued the laws infringe on their First Amendment rights, a decision met with a fiery dissent by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas. The court rejected appeals from Coalition Life, which describes itself as "America's Largest Professional Sidewalk Counseling Organization" in New Jersey and Illinois, who had challenged previous lower court rulings that dismissed their lawsuits. Pro-life activists in the case argued that "buffer zones" – which were established after a...