A federal judge has ruled that Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall cannot prosecute individuals or organizations aiding women leaving the state to obtain abortions.

The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, came after an abortion fund and healthcare providers filed a lawsuit challenging statements and a brief filed by Marshall in 2023. The judge concluded that prosecuting such assistance would violate constitutional rights.

“The court has found that the Attorney General’s threatened prosecutions violate the right to travel and the First Amendment,” Thomson stated. “But the broader, practical implications of the Attorney General’s threats should not be overlooked. If Alabama held the power its Attorney General asserts here, it is hard to envision a limiting principle besides what the Attorney General personally sees as permissible and impermissible.”

Although Marshall had previously indicated the possibility of pursuing legal action against those facilitating out-of-state abortions, no prosecutions have taken place.

In Alabama, abortion is banned at any stage of pregnancy without exceptions.

A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said that it is currently “reviewing the decision to determine the State’s options.”

Sherri Blevins is a writer for Mountain Valley News and a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].