Thread by @TexasTribune

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two high-profile cases against Texas' abortion ban.

The eventual ruling will likely determine the future of abortion care in Texas and shape the legal battles to come.

Here's what you need to know. 🧵

2/ One of the cases was brought by the federal government, while the other was brought by abortion providers and advocates.

This marks the first time the high court is stepping in to lawsuits seeking to stop the abortion ban. bit.ly/2ZMhWXS

3/ To be clear: The court isn’t set to review the constitutional right to an abortion today. Instead, it will address two narrow questions about how Texas’ law is enforced.

Decisions are unlikely to come today, though the court has moved relatively quickly to hear this case.

4/ In the case brought forward by the Department of Justice, the court will review whether the U.S. can sue Texas in this attempt to overturn the law.

In the case brought by providers, it will consider whether a state can offload enforcement of such a law to private citizens.

5/ Texas’ law, which went into effect in September, bans abortions as early as six weeks — before many people know they’re pregnant.

In reality, the time frame for getting an abortion under this law is more like two weeks or less. bit.ly/3muTZwO

6/ Though the constitutional right to an abortion has been recognized by federal courts since Roe v. Wade nearly 50 years ago, Texas' law is designed to get around that.

It's enforced by lawsuits brought by private citizens rather than the state.

7/ The design of the law has far-reaching legal implications, legal experts say, by challenging the very notion of what a court is for and emboldening civilians to enforce law, a duty traditionally left to the government. bit.ly/3BDKEXD

8/8 Stay tuned to our Twitter feed and our site for developments on the oral arguments, and catch up on our reporting so far here: bit.ly/3jRJoKr