Fargo Women's Health Organization v. Schafer

18 F.3d 526, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 2141, 1994 WL 34980
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit·Decided February 10, 1994·No. No. 93-1579·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinions

JOHN R. GIBSON, Senior Circuit Judge.

Fargo Women’s Health Organization and individuals associated with it appeal from the district court’s1 entry of summary judgment in favor of the State of North Dakota upholding the constitutionality of the North Dakota Abortion Control Act, N.D.Cent.Code §§ 14-02.1-01 to 14-02.1-12, amended by 1991 N.D.Laws eh. 141 (effective April 1, 1991). The Organization challenges two of the 1991 amendments2 concerning informed consent: (1) the provision requiring abortion providers to give women seeking abortions certain information twenty-four hours before the abortion concerning assistance benefits that may be available, liability of the father, and the right to review printed material provided by the State; and (2) the definition of “medical emergency.”3 It also challenges two provisions of the preexisting Act — the definition of “abortion”4 and the general penalty provision. We affirm the judgment of the district court.

After North Dakota amended its Abortion Control Act in 1991, the Organization brought this action asserting that the Act is unconstitutional on its face. The Organization sought a declaratory judgment that the provisions were unconstitutional and immediate injunctive relief prohibiting enforcement of the Act.

On August 23, 1991, the district court granted a preliminary injunction as to the informed consent and twenty-four hour waiting period requirements. The parties agreed to hold this case in abeyance pending the Supreme Court’s decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, — U.S. -, 112 S.Ct. [528]*5282791, 120 L.Ed.2d 674 (1992), since the statutory provisions at issue in Casey were nearly identical to the provisions in this case. The district court accepted the parties’ stipulations regarding the substantial overlap of this case and Casey, and required that the parties delay filing summary judgment motions until after release of the Casey decision. After the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Casey, the State moved for summary judgment. The district court granted summary judgment for the State, vacated the preliminary injunction, and ordered that the case be dismissed. Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Sinner, 819 F.Supp. 862, 865 (D.N.D.1993). The Organization then sought a stay pending appeal, which the district court denied. Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Schafer, 819 F.Supp. 865, 866 (D.N.D.1993). The next day Judge McMillian granted the Organization’s motion for a temporary stay pending appeal. On March 30, 1993, a panel of this court vacated the stay and denied the injunction pending appeal.5 The following day the Organization sought and obtained a stay pending appeal from Justice Blackmun who referred the case to the full Supreme Court for a decision on the stay application. Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Schafer, No. A-742 (Mar. 31, 1993). On April 2, 1993, the Supreme Court denied the stay pending appeal. Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Schafer, — U.S. -, 113 S.Ct. 1668, 123 L.Ed.2d 285 (1993). Justice O’Connor, joined by Justice Souter, wrote a separate concurrence, stating that she believed the lower courts should have conducted an inquiry as to whether the North Dakota provisions at issue constitute an undue burden for women seeking abortions. Id. at -, 113 S.Ct. at 1669. We heard argument on the merits and thereafter granted a stay pending determination of this appeal.

The Organization argues on appeal that the Supreme Court’s decision in Casey, — U.S. -, 112 S.Ct. 2791, 120 L.Ed.2d 674 (1992), and its articulation of the “undue burden” standard require that the district court make factual findings, that a facial challenge may succeed even if the statute could be applied constitutionally to some women, and that the preliminary injunction should be reinstated pending trial on the merits. The State argues that the district court properly granted summary judgment and dismissed the Organization’s facial challenge to North Dakota’s law because it is similar to the Pennsylvania statute upheld in Casey, and that the district court correctly rejected the Organization’s claim that the statute was void for vagueness.

We review an appeal from a decision granting summary judgment de novo. Get Away Club, Inc. v. Coleman, 969 F.2d 664, 666 (8th Cir.1992). Summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(e).

Relying on United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739, 745, 107 S.Ct. 2095, 2100, 95 L.Ed.2d 697 (1987), and Rust v. Sullivan, 500 U.S. 173, 182-84, 111 S.Ct. 1759, 1767, 114 L.Ed.2d 233 (1991), the district court held that a successful challenge to the facial validity of a statute requires a showing that no set of circumstances exists under which a statute would be constitutional. Fargo Women’s Health Org., 819 F.Supp. at 864. The court stated that merely demonstrating that the Act might operate unconstitutionally under some conceivable set of circumstances is insufficient to render it wholly invalid. Id. (citing Salerno, 481 U.S. at 745, 107 S.Ct. at 2100). The district court rejected the Organization’s argument that the court should factually assess the degree of burden imposed by the Act under the Casey “undue burden” standard.6 819 F.Supp. at 865. [529]*529When a panel of this court considered the Organization’s appeal for a stay pending appeal, it agreed 'with the standard the district court employed in considering a facial challenge. Fargo Women’s Health Org. v. Schafer, No. 93-1579, slip op. at 3-6, 1993 WL 603600 (8th Cir. March 30, 1993). Nevertheless, according to Justice O’Connor in her concurrence with the Supreme Court’s denial of the Organization’s motion for a stay pending appeal of this case, the facial challenge standard should include a factual inquiry in abortion regulation cases. Fargo Women’s Health Org., — U.S. at -, 113 S.Ct. at 1669. Justice O’Connor wrote: “In striking down the Pennsylvania law, we did not require [plaintiffs] to show that the provision would be invalid in all circumstances.” Id. Justice O’Connor, joined by Justice Souter, emphasized that a law constitutes an “undue burden,” and is therefore invalid, if “in a large fraction of the cases in which [the law] is relevant, it will operate as a substantial obstacle to a woman’s choice to undergo an abortion.” Id. (quoting Casey, — U.S. at -, 112 S.Ct. at 2830). Thus, the first question we must decide is whether the district court, and this court in its opinion of March 30, 1993, denying the stay pending appeal, followed Supreme Court mandate in applying the Salerno facial challenge test.

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Fargo Women's Health Organization v. Schafer, 18 F.3d 526, 1994 U.S. App. LEXIS 2141, 1994 WL 34980 (8th Cir. 1994).

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