Louisiana, other state judges block laws meant to trigger abortion bans shortly after the Supreme Court decision

Lab technician Stephannie Chaffee prepares materials that will be used to test women's blood ahead of the arrival of patients, Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, at Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, La. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The fall of Roe v. Wade shifted the battleground over abortion to courthouses around the country Monday, as one side sought quickly to put statewide bans into effect and the other tried to stop or at least delay such measures.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to end constitutional protection for abortion opened the gates for a wave of litigation from all sides.

Many of the court cases will focus on “trigger laws,” adopted in 13 states in anticipation of the ruling and designed to take effect swiftly. Lawsuits could also target old anti-abortion laws that were left on the books and went unenforced under Roe. Newer abortion restrictions that were put on hold pending the Supreme Court ruling have also started to come back into play.