Abortion rights lawyer in case that overturned Roe v. Wade confirmed as federal judge

The lawyer who represented a Mississippi clinic central to the case that led to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade has been confirmed to a federal appeals court judgeship, just days before the anniversary of the ruling.

Julie Rikelman, U.S. litigation director for the Center for Reproductive Rights, was on Tuesday confirmed to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Senate voted 51-43 to approve her nomination.

A long-time abortion rights lawyer, Rikelman argued for Jackson Women’s Health Organization in Dobbs v. Jackson, which tested a Mississippi law that banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court ruled against the Mississippi clinic 6-3 on June 24, 2022. The vote to overturn Roe, and end the constitutional right to abortion the court established in that case, was 5-4. 

Aftermath of Dobbs decision: 'Incalculable' impact: Three ways the Supreme Court abortion decision changed the USA

In the aftermath of the decision, abortion access was gutted nationwide, and the divisive issue’s political potency was tested. The end of Roe energized the left in the 2022 midterm elections, and conservative states such as Kentucky, Kansas and Montana saw anti-abortion ballot initiatives fail.

Rikelman was nominated to the appeals court position by President Joe Biden last July. The Harvard Law School and Harvard College graduate previously worked as vice president of litigation for NBC Universal.