WASHINGTON — Texas has more people leaving the state to get an abortion compared to any other state, according to data by the Guttmacher Institute—a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights. This comes as the Supreme Court handed down a decision that preserves access to a widely used medication abortion drug, at least for now. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sen. John Cornyn called the decision a “technical ruling” that weighed in on the legal threshold that determines whether challengers have a right to sue

  • The court’s decision was issued the same day former President Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill to meet with House and Senate Republicans

  • Cornyn said he thought the meeting went well and that Trump’s primary message was “unity” 

  • Cornyn also weighed in on the growing support on Capitol Hill to pressure Mexico to hasten its water deliveries to the U.S. under a decades-old water treaty

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called the high court’s decision a “technical ruling” that weighed in on the legal threshold that determines whether challengers have a right to sue. 

“I don’t think this is the end of the discussion. Obviously, abortion is going to be an issue in this upcoming election, but I do believe that the right policy is to have this decided on a state-by-state basis by the voters,” Cornyn said in a recent interview with Spectrum News. “Texas is going to have a different rule than let’s say, Maine or Vermont, but we don’t, also don’t want Maine or Vermont deciding what are the rules should be in Texas.”

The Supreme Court’s decision was issued the same day former President Donald Trump visited Capitol Hill to meet with House and Senate Republicans. Cornyn said in the past that it was time for the party to move on from Trump, but he is now endorsing him for president this year.

“I served with President Trump for four years previously and found him to be somebody you can work with, you can do business with, and so I look forward to working with him once he’s reelected,” Cornyn said.  

“This is a natural part of the process where the primaries are over and he’s the nominee, and we have a, we have a choice between President Biden and President Trump, and I think the choice for me, and I think for many Texans, is very clear that we want to see President Trump reelected,” he said.

Cornyn said he thought the meeting went well and that Trump’s primary message was “unity.” 

Later in the week, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they discovered that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose another three trips funded by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow. Thomas has been under intense scrutiny for failing to report such trips on financial disclosure forms in the past. 

“As a result of our investigation and subpoena authorization, we are providing the American public greater clarity on the extent of ethical lapses by Supreme Court justices and the need for ethics reform,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, chair of the Judiciary Committee. 

Cornyn sits on the committee, and when asked for his take on the matter, he said, “Justice Thomas has disclosed what he was required to be disclosed, but unfortunately, I think the Democrats are the ones who were trying to undermine public confidence. There’s no indication this is related to any case that would affect the outcome of any decision by the court,”

Cornyn also weighed in on the growing support on Capitol Hill to pressure Mexico to hasten its water deliveries to the U.S. under a decades-old water treaty.