U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright Blocks Arkansas Abortion Law

Personal Life
Susan Webber Wright was born in Texarkana, Arkansas in 1948. She graduated with a B.A. from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1970 and she received an M.P.A. from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1973. Wright also earned her J.D. from University of Arkansas School of Law in 1975. During law school, she was a pupil of future United States President Bill Clinton in his course on admiralty law. After Clinton lost his students' exams, he offered them a B plus. However, Wright disputed the grade and spoke with Clinton's fiancé, Hillary Rodham. Clinton later changed Wright's grade to an A.
In 1974, Wright, a conservative Republican, served in the reelection campaign of Republican Representative John Paul Hammerschmidt. The representative defeated Clinton by six thousand votes. It was the future president's first bid for political office.

After graduating from law school, Wright worked as a law clerk for J. Smith Henley of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit from 1975 to 1976. From 1976 to 1990, Wright was a member of the faculty of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. She served as an assistant dean and assistant professor from 1976 to 1978, associate professor from 1980 to 1983, and full professor from 1983 to 1990. In 1979, Wright was a research assistant to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention. She was a visiting professor at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville School of Law in 1980. Wright also served as a visiting professor at the Ohio State University College of Law in 1981 and at the Louisiana State University Law Center from 1982 to 1983.
On September 21, 1989, President George H.W. Bush nominated Wright to the Western District of Arkansas and the Eastern District of Arkansas. On January 23, 1990, the judge was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. On December 1, 1990, Wright was reassigned to serve only the Eastern District of Arkansas. From 1998 to 2005, she served as chief judge of that district.
Wright is well known for presiding over Paula Jones's sexual harassment lawsuit. The lawsuit was brought against President Clinton. Jones claimed that the sexual harassment occurred when Clinton was Governor of Arkansas. Although Jones worked in Clinton's office at that time, Wright ruled that a sitting president couldn't be sued. However, the Eighth Circuit overturned Wright's decision. Clinton then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh Wright's ruling. The Supreme Court rejected the president's request, which permitted Jones's lawsuit to continue without delay. On April 1, 1998, Wright stated that Jones's lawsuit had no legal merit. Jones's appeal to the Eighth Circuit was dismissed after Clinton decided to settle the case with her out of court.
Wright is also well known for being involved with the Whitewater scandal. The judge imprisoned Susan McDougal for declining to answer three questions about whether President Clinton lied in his testimony. McDougal was sentenced for eighteen months in prison for civil contempt of court.
Chief Justice John Roberts nominated Wright to a seven-year term on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. She was appointed on May 18, 2009. The judge's term will expire on May 18, 2016.
Wright married Robert R. Wright III in 1983. Mr. Wright was a law professor and co-founder of The University of Arkansas at Little Rock's law school. The couple named their daughter Robin. Mr. Wright died on June 4, 2006.
Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas' Abortion Law
On Friday May 17, 2013, U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright prohibited Arkansas from enforcing one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws. According to an NBC News editorial, "Judge blocks Arkansas' tough new abortion law," Wright permitted a temporary injunction, which was requested by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR). Both groups believe that doctors who offer abortions would experience "irreparable harm." The judge noted that the twelve-week standard outlaws some abortions before the typical accepted medical average of viability for a fetus (usually 24 weeks). Wright said, "The Supreme Court has consistently used viability as a standard with respect to any law that regulates abortion. This act defines viability as something viability is not."
According to The Guardian article, "Federal judge blocks Arkansas 12-week abortion ban," lawyers representing the ACLU and the CRR filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of two Little Rock abortion providers and requested an injunction to prevent the ban from being implemented. Pro-choice advocates have asked the federal judge to prohibit the law permanently. They believe the new abortion law is unconstitutional and it disputes the 1973 Supreme Court's decision of Roe v. Wade. That landmark case legalized abortion until a fetus could feasibly live outside the womb.
The Guardian column pointed out that the temporary injunction means the new abortion law cannot be implemented right now. After Wright's judgment, the ACLU claimed it would continue to campaign for a law, which would permanently prohibit Arkansas' new abortion law.
Talcott Camp, deputy director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, told The Guardian, "This law is an extreme example of how lawmakers around the country are trying to limit a woman's ability to make the best decision for herself and her family." She continued to say, "Far from safeguarding women's health, these laws are designed with one purpose - to eliminate all access to abortion care."
According to the NBC News editorial, Josh Mesker, a spokesman for the nonprofit Arkansas Family Council, expressed his frustration with Wright's decision. Mesker stated that the results were "disappointing, but it's not unexpected." His goal is to get Arkansas' new abortion law before the U.S. Supreme Court. Mesker firmly believes pro-life advocates will prevail in a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade. He asserted, "It's not outside the realm of possibility for the current Supreme Court to readdress Roe v. Wade in a way that leans toward our position."
NBC News article reports that a lawsuit was file in April against Arkansas' State Medical Board. The lawsuit asserted that the new abortion law "presents physicians in Arkansas with an untenable choice: to face license revocation for continuing to provide abortion care in accordance with their best medical judgment, or to stop providing the critical care their patients seek." Wright overruled the state's motion to reject the case. The judge said the Supreme Court's decision that Roe v. Wade illustrated a line explaining abortions typically could be prohibited only upon a fetus' "attainment of viability."
The Guardian made clear that Arkansas' new abortion law had for a brief time the most restrictive law in the nation. Conservative politicians in North Dakota recently overtook Arkansas' law when they decided to pass legislation that would forbid abortion as early as six weeks. Abortion rights advocates will challenge North Dakota's law in the courtroom.