Injunctions apply only to specifically identified individuals or groups involved in the lawsuit, or persons acting on their behalf or in cooperation with those individuals involved in the suit. Injunctions can prohibit anti-choicers from acting against specific people or clinics. State and local government laws can do more than federal laws, but they cannot contradict federal law. In the same way, local laws can go farther than state laws but cannot conflict with state laws. The larger the governmental entity, the more priority its laws receive.
Federal statutes prevail over state statutes, which prevail over county and city ordinances.
All of these laws are subject to the restrictions of the United States Constitution and cannot violate First Amendment protections . A state, therefore, cannot pass laws permitting the use of force to block a clinic from providing abortions. A state or local government, however, could pass laws prohibiting protests within a certain distance of a reproductive health clinic, as long as the law does not violate the protestors' constitutional rights. For technical or website issues, please contact our Webmistress .