Oral arguments on Roe canceled

[Judi Lynn]

Oral arguments on Roe canceled
Appellate court will consider only written briefs in abortion case.

Web Posted: 02/24/2004 12:00 AM CST

Maro Robbins
Express-News

A federal appeals court on Monday canceled a hearing that would have given the Jane Roe of Roe vs. Wade fame a chance to argue that her decades-old landmark abortion case should be reopened and reversed.

The cancellation represented an about-face by judges at Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, who are reviewing what is essentially an unorthodox attempt to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Signed by Circuit Judge Edith H. Jones of Houston, the order offered no explanation for why judges selected the case to get the extra attention that comes with oral arguments and then, a week before the hearing, said never mind.

San Antonio's Edward C. Prado and Jacques L. Wiener Jr. of Shreveport, La., are the other judges on the panel that will now rely only on written briefings to decide whether the case can be reopened.
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http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/texas/stories/MYSA24.02B.CB_Roe_v_Wade0224.f5992c.html