In another push to distance himself from his state’s more progressive initiatives, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have allowed illegal immigrant public university students such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to have on-campus jobs. 

This is the second time this month Newsom has nixed a bill that would have greatly expanded aid to illegal immigrants. Earlier this month, the blue-state governor vetoed a controversial bill that would have given noncitizens housing loans for first-time buyers.

“California has a proud history of being at the forefront of expanding opportunities for undocumented students who seek to realize their higher education dreams,” Newsom’s veto letter of AB 2586 read. “While I am proud of these efforts, I am unfortunately unable to sign this legislation at this time. Given the gravity of the potential consequences of this bill, which include potential criminal and civil liability for state employees, it is critical that the courts address the legality of such a policy and the novel legal theory behind this legislation before proceeding.”

NEWSOM’S DEEPFAKE ELECTION LAWS ARE ALREADY BEING CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT

College students in the UC system can receive financial aid, but a federal judge closed applications for the DACA program in 2021. The program allowed certain noncitizens who were brought to the country as children and meet specific criteria to receive temporary protection from deportation. As such, many are unable to be employed on campus.

Newsom, who campaigned for President Biden before he dropped his re-election campaign, has previously supported other forms of aid to noncitizens, including health care coverage for all Californians regardless of proof of citizenship. 

University leaders and lobbyists also warned Democratic lawmakers about AB 2486 due to its tricky legal outlines that could land workers in a criminal prosecution.

NEWSOM VETOES CONTROVERSIAL BILL THAT WOULD HAVE GIVEN HOUSING LOANS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

“Unfortunately, AB 2586 does not protect our undocumented students or employees from prosecution, nor does it protect the University from the risk of potentially losing billions in federal dollars,” UC Legislative Director Mario Guerrero wrote in a letter to the state’s Senate appropriations committee.

“We would welcome working with the author and Legislature on other legal options to support these students,” the letter, sent in July, read.

UC leadership considered seeking declaratory relief to clarify if they could hire students before proceeding. Activists reportedly opposed this, fearing it would hinder student hiring. Still, Newsom suggested in his veto message that the UC system has that legal option. 

CALIFORNIA CLOSE TO APPROVING $150K LOANS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HELP PURCHASE HOMES

“Seeking declaratory relief in court – an option available to the University of California – would provide such clarity,” the veto read.

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Illegal immigration is one of the top issues in the 2024 race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. 

The Biden-Harris administration has been blamed for the crisis at the southern border over their weaker border policies and pro-illegal immigrant rhetoric. 

FIRST ON FOX: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is putting the U.S. intelligence community on the spot after Iranian hackers tried to disseminate private information from former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

“Congress is outraged by the Biden-Harris Administration’s inaction and unwillingness to hold Iran accountable for its cyberattacks on the Trump campaign,” Johnson wrote in letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“As you have shared, Iran hacked into the Trump campaign and distributed private information directly to the Biden campaign and to American media, which, like Iran, favors Kamala Harris.”

In his letter, he also claimed Harris was Iran’s “preferred candidate” in the race.

TOP RUSSIAN OFFICIAL LANDS IN IRAN AMID US, UK CONCERNS OVER ALLEGED NUCLEAR DEAL

Last week, the three agencies released a rare joint statement, revealing that “Iranian malicious cyber actors” sent stolen Trump campaign materials to people linked to President Biden’s since-defunct re-election campaign, beginning in June. They also sent non-public materials to U.S. media organizations, the agencies said.

However, Johnson told their directors that “several unanswered questions remain.”

“The American people must be informed of how the cyberattacks and distribution of information happened, the timeline indicating when the attacks occurred and were verified, and the concrete steps your agencies have taken to deter future attacks,” Johnson wrote.

He accused the Biden administration of failing to deter election interference efforts by Iran or other hostile foreign powers and pointed out that Iran has also recently been accused of trying to kill the former president.

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER TELLS US ONLY ‘MILITARY ACTION’ CAN RETURN PEOPLE TO HOMES AMID HEZBOLLAH THREAT

“To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has not offered or executed any meaningful action to show our enemies such interference will not be tolerated, nor shared what steps, if any, it has taken to deter future attacks on Donald Trump or his campaign,” Johnson wrote.

“With less than 45 days until the election, much more needs to be done to protect our nation’s sovereignty and stop Iran from tipping the election in favor of its preferred candidate.”

He gave the agencies a deadline of Oct. 4, roughly a month before Election Day.

Multiple outlets reported earlier this month that the Justice Department and FBI are planning to file criminal charges against those involved with the Trump campaign hack.

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned in February that foreign adversaries posed a threat to the U.S. having “free and fair elections.”

“The U.S. has confronted foreign malign influence threats in the past, but this election cycle, the U.S. will face more adversaries, moving at a faster pace, and enabled by new technology,” he said during a national security forum.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign, as well as the FBI, CISA and the DNI, for comment.

Former President Donald Trump leads Vice President Kamala Harris in three crucial swing states, according to a Monday poll from the New York Times.

Trump is leading Harris in Arizona by five points in a 50%-45% spread, and he holds a similar 49%-45% lead in Georgia. Harris is closer to the former president in North Carolina, however, where the race sits at 49%-47%, according to the poll.

The Times conducted its poll from Sept. 17-21, surveying 2,077 likely voters across all three states.

Arizona and Georgia would be major victories for Trump in the general election, as both are states that President Biden won in 2020. Arizona in particular represents a major swing toward Trump, where a Times poll in August found Harris leading by five points.

RAPPER 50 CENT SAYS ‘MAYBE TRUMP IS THE ANSWER’ AFTER SEEING NYC GIVE PREPAID CREDIT CARDS TO MIGRANTS

The Times survey comes days after a Fox News national poll found Harris leading Trump by two points in a 50%-48% matchup.

The new Fox News national survey found a 3 percentage-point shift among registered voters in the 2024 presidential contest since mid-August. Trump had a 1-point advantage in August.

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS CLOSES GAP WITH TRUMP IN SUN BELT STATES

Since the August survey, many events have occurred that could affect voter opinion: the Democratic National Convention was held; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump; former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney endorsed Harris; and the candidates faced off in a debate. A second assassination attempt on Trump happened about three-quarters of the way into the new survey.

Many Republican pollsters are confident in Trump’s chances given the national polling. Hillary Clinton beat Trump by two percent in the national vote in 2016, but lost in the Electoral College.

FOX NEWS POLL: 87% CONSIDER SITUATION AT SOUTHERN BORDER A PROBLEM

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“Our best estimates are that if Trump is within 2 points of Harris nationally then he will likely win in the Electoral College,” said Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts Fox News surveys with Democrat Chris Anderson. “These data showing a Trump edge in the key counties and battleground states suggest that’s probably right.”

Fox News’ Dana Blanton contributed to this report.

At least four top staffers in North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s campaign for governor have resigned in the wake of a report about posts he allegedly made on a porn website more than a decade ago. 

Just three days after CNN published a report that Robinson had allegedly previously made salacious comments, including referring to himself as a “black Nazi,” on pornographic websites dating back to the late 2000s, his campaign released a statement on Sunday confirming that staff in various senior roles had stepped down. 

Conrad Pogorzelski III, who served as a general consultant and senior advisor; Chris Rodriguez, the campaign manager; Heather Whillier, the finance director; and Jason Rizk, who served as deputy campaign manager, have all resigned. The campaign promised new staffing announcements would be made soon. 

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days,” Robinson said in a statement. “My campaign will continue to focus on the substantive issues at stake in this election: building an economy that grows from Murphy to Manteo; cutting taxes and eliminating unnecessary red-tape; removing politics out of our classrooms; and cracking down on violent crime and dangerous drugs.” 

BATTLEGROUND STATE REPUBLICAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN PORN SCANDAL, DISMISSES IT AS ‘TABLOID TRASH’

Robinson still expressed optimism that he could win in November over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Stein, the sitting state attorney general. 

“Polls have consistently underestimated Republican support in North Carolina for several cycles now and with a large portion of the electorate still undecided as we continue to ramp up our efforts across the state, I am confident our campaign remains in a strong position to make our case to the voters and win on November 5,” Robinson said. 

According to his campaign website, Robinson is scheduled to appear for an event on Monday morning in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. 

The CNN report on Thursday unearthed past posts it said Robinson left on a porn site’s message boards in which he allegedly referred to himself as a “black NAZI;” said he enjoyed transgender pornography; said in 2012 he preferred Hitler to then-President Obama; and slammed the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.”

Robinson denied writing the posts and said Thursday that he would not be forced out of the race by “salacious tabloid lies.” 

“You all have seen the half-truths and outright lies of Josh Stein on these ads over and over again – and now a story leaked by him to CNN is appearing now. Let me reassure you, the things that you will see in that story, those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, you know my character, and you know that I have been completely transparent in this race and before,” Robinson said in a video message. “Clarence Thomas famously once said he was the victim of a high-tech lynching. Well, it looks like Mark Robinson is too by a man who refuses to stand on stage and debate me about real issues that face you.” 

Robinson avoided directly discussing the controversy during a gubernatorial campaign event on Saturday evening at a racetrack in Fayetteville, the Associated Press reported. 

NC GOP GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MARK ROBINSON FACING CALLS TO DROP OUT AMID RUMORS OF LOOMING BOMBSHELL

The event happened after former President Trump did not mention Robinson at a rally about 90 miles away in Wilmington earlier in the day. Before Saturday, Robinson had been a frequent presence at Trump’s North Carolina campaign stops. The Republican presidential nominee endorsed Robinson, who would be North Carolina’s first Black governor if elected, in the primary. 

Stein said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Robinson is “utterly unqualified, unfit to be the governor of North Carolina, and we’re going to do everything in our power to keep that from happening.”

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Robinson deserves a chance to defend himself against the allegations, which Graham described as “unnerving.” He said Robinson is “a political zombie if he does not offer a defense to this that’s credible,” while arguing that either way, this would not cost Trump the battleground state. 

“If they’re true, he’s unfit to serve for office,” Graham said of the allegations. “If they’re not true, he has the best lawsuit in the history of the country for libel.”

Polls show Trump and Vice President Harris locked in a close race in North Carolina and nationally. Democrats have seized on the opportunity to highlight Trump’s ties to Robinson, with billboards showing the two together and a new ad from Harris’ campaign highlighting the Republican candidates’ ties.

Fox News’ Matthew Reidy and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A conservative super PAC backed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk launched a website over the weekend, enabling supporters to canvass in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Trump and other GOP candidates. 

America PAC operates in key battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. The PAC also operates in more than a dozen competitive districts within normally Democratic strongholds like California and New York. 

According to its website, America PAC aims to “promote free speech, free markets, and a merit-based society.” 

MAYOR OF MUSLIM-MAJORITY MICHIGAN CITY ENDORSES TRUMP: ‘RIGHT CHOICE FOR THIS CRITICAL TIME’

“Together, we’ll ensure that every vote counts towards a stronger, more vibrant America,” reads America PAC’s website. 

The new website enables anyone in the U.S. to sign up and be deployed to one of these key states or districts for canvassing.   

Now the largest “get out the vote” outside group in the U.S., America PAC was formed early in the summer and has, according to sources, amassed hundreds of canvassers. The super PAC believes the new website will help scale operations going into the November election, which is just over six weeks away. 

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Filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show America has already invested at least $2.4 million in more than a dozen key congressional races. 

Maryland and Mississippi join the large and growing list of states to begin early and absentee voting Monday.

Voting is underway in nearly 20 states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Virginia. 

States starting their early voting today are not competitive at the presidential level, but the Senate race in Maryland will be one of the most closely watched races on election night.

FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS THINK HARRIS DID BETTER THAN TRUMP IN DEBATE

The last time the state voted for a Republican senator was 1980, but former Gov. Larry Hogan tied Democratic challenger Angela Alsobrooks in a recent poll, and has put forth a set of moderate policy proposals without raising the ire of former President Donald Trump. 

Hogan, though a Republican, has been a vocal critic of Trump.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ON VOTER ROLLS SPURS WATCHDOG GROUP TO SUE MARICOPA COUNTY

Alsobrooks is leaning on her experience as a county executive and prosecutor, and the state’s heavily blue tilt gives her an edge. This race is ranked Leans D on the Fox News Power Rankings.

This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Maryland.

Maryland began absentee voting on Monday. Applicants do not need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot. The state must receive a ballot application by Oct. 29, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Absentee ballots can be returned in-person through Election Day. Early voting begins Oct. 24 and runs through Oct. 31.

Maryland residents can register to vote online or by mail through Oct. 15. They can also register in-person during early voting or on election day.

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This is a guide to registration and early voting. For comprehensive and up-to-date information on voter eligibility, processes, and deadlines, please go to Vote.gov and the election website for Mississippi.

Mississippi began absentee voting Monday. Applicants need to provide an excuse to receive a ballot, however. The state must receive a ballot application by Nov. 4, and that ballot must be delivered to state officials by Nov. 5.

Mississippi does not support early in-person voting.

Residents can register to vote by mail or in-person through Oct. 7.

Gun rights, medical marijuana use, regulation of e-cigarettes and gender transition medical procedures for minors are just a few of the issues awaiting the Supreme Court when it comes back to work from its summer recess two weeks from today.

Last term, the court decided a series of politically charged cases like former President Trump’s presidential immunity case, a challenge to the government’s regulation of the abortion pill and free speech in the digital age.

The high court will kick off the 2024 term on Oct. 7 as it also navigates pressure from Democratic lawmakers for Congress to impose a new code of ethics and term limits. 

Here are some cases to watch: 

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN THAT LATEST SUPREME COURT LEAKS ARE ‘ENORMOUSLY DESTRUCTIVE’

In a challenge to the Biden administration’s regulation on so-called “ghost guns,” the Supreme Court will decide whether the federal rule is constitutional.

The rule in question was issued in 2022 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to regulate “buy build shoot” kits that are available online or in stores that allow any individual to assemble a working firearm without a background check or the usual serial numbers required by the federal government.

The Biden administration argued the rule is necessary to respond to rising numbers of untraceable guns. The Justice Department had argued in court that local law enforcement agencies seized more than 19,000 ghost guns at crime scenes in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years.

However, gun rights groups say the rule is “unconstitutional and abusive.” 

In this case, a truck driver, Douglas Horn is suing a medical marijuana company after he took one of its CBD products for chronic pain. 

But after he failed a drug test and lost his job, he sued the company using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) – a federal statute used to fight organized crime. The justices will decide whether Horn can continue his suit.  

ALASKA MAN ARRESTED FOR THREATS AGAINST 6 SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

In this case, two veterans sued after they were repeatedly denied medical care for post-traumatic stress disorder after the Department of Veteran’s Affairs said they did not qualify for care. The case could expand benefits for thousands of veterans.

This case will decide whether to allow the FDA to deny approval for fruit-flavored e-cigarettes. The FDA asked the high court to overturn a ruling that overruled the agency’s denial, warning that the decision has “far-reaching consequences for public health.” 

The agency has authorized the marketing of four e-cigarette products in the U.S., including the first menthol-flavored vaping product. But the FDA has routinely denied applications for fruit-flavored products, claiming the risks of addicting children outweigh any benefits for the rest of the population. 

This case will review the Biden administration’s “equal protection” challenge to Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and transgender surgeries for minors. 

APACHE TRIBE TAKES FIGHT WITH FEDS OVER SACRED LAND TO SUPREME COURT

It is the first time the high court will consider restrictions on puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery for minors. Tennessee is one of 22 states that has measures banning such medical intervention for minors.

This challenge, launched by a trade association for adult-only content, asks the high court to decide whether a Texas law’s age verification requirement for accessing online sexual content violates the First Amendment. 

The law passed in 2023 sets requirements for any commercial website where more than one-third of its content is “sexual material harmful to minors.” 

Oil and gas industry leaders are skeptical of Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on critical state issues and are calling for clarity on her positions before Election Day.

Harris said there is “no question” she would be in favor of banning fracking, during her 2020 presidential campaign, but after becoming the 2024 Democratic nominee, the vice president said that she will not ban hydraulic fracturing if elected.

“As a native Pennsylvanian, who understands the importance of oil and gas to local communities and consumers nationwide, I have to be skeptical of the vice president’s pivot on fracking. And we still haven’t seen an energy policy plan,” Jeff Eshelman, Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) President & CEO, told Fox News Digital.

HARRIS DODGING FLIP-FLOP ATTACKS AS FACELESS SURROGATES FLIP KEY POSITIONS: ‘PLAYING POLITICS’

Eshelman added that her shift signals that fracking is a winning issue.

HARRIS CLAIMS SHE ‘MADE CLEAR’ HER POSITION ON FRACKING IN 2020 – TRANSCRIPT SHOWS ANOTHER STORY

“If the VP is now endorsing a pro-fracking plan, we are the experts and would encourage a meeting with oil and gas producers. However, Harris’ endorsement of hydraulic fracturing shows how important energy issues are to voters who understand increased oil and natural gas development is key to bringing down gas prices and decreasing reliance on foreign oil,” Eshelman said. “Her shift makes it clear that unleashing abundant and affordable American energy resources through safe and responsible fracking technology is a winning issue.”

The issue remains of top concern to swing state voters in Pennsylvania, as well as on a national level, after a New York Times/Siena College poll released in September found that 43% of voters somewhat or strongly oppose a ban on fracking.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) echoed the questions surrounding her position. 

“I think the Vice President should be held to account for what exactly she means. And she has been successful to this point in not having to say a lot. And I would posit the reason why she is all of a sudden talking about fracking is because the path to the presidency runs through Pennsylvania, and they know full well how important the oil and gas sector is to the nearly half a billion people in the state of Pennsylvania that are employed in and around the industry,” said Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President of API.

API also suggested that swing state voters could be a driving force behind her decision to change face on the issue.

“President Trump – we know where he stands on energy. But voters deserve to know what the vice president’s philosophy is, and just articulating support of hydraulic fracturing is not enough. There are a lot of questions that voters deserve to have answers to.”

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign told Fox News Digital that the vice president has been clear on where she stands on the issue.

“Vice President Harris was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote on the largest ever investment to address the climate crisis and under the Biden-Harris administration, America is more energy secure than ever before with the highest domestic energy production on record. The Biden-Harris administration ignited an American manufacturing boom and created 300,000 energy jobs, while Trump lost nearly a million, and his Project 2025 would undo the enormous progress we’ve made the past four years. 

“Vice President Harris is focused on a future where all Americans have clean air, clean water and affordable, reliable energy, while Trump’s lies are an obvious attempt to distract from his own plans to enrich oil and gas executives at the expense of the middle class,” the campaign told Fox.

House lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill Monday afternoon to begin their final week in session before Election Day – and a possible partial government shutdown.

Congress has just five days to find an agreement on funding the government at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. If no deal can pass the Republican-held House and Democrat-controlled Senate by then, thousands of federal employees could be furloughed and multiple government programs temporarily shuttered.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree that some sort of short-term extension of this year’s funds, called a continuing resolution (CR), is needed to buy negotiators more time. They differ on how to get there, however.

SHUTDOWN FEARS MOVE HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO PROTECT MILITARY PAYCHECKS

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not given an indication of what his plan might be after his plan of a six-month CR combined with a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process failed last week.

Fourteen Republicans joined all but three Democrats in successfully voting down the bill, much to the chagrin of Johnson allies who had hoped it would be a strong opening salvo in his negotiations with the Senate.

Several GOP lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital last week said they expected Johnson to hold a vote on a “clean” CR through December – something desired by Democrats and some senior Republicans – which conservatives would see as an unequivocal loss.

JOHNSON’S PLAN TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN GOES DOWN IN FLAMES AS REPUBLICANS REBEL

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, made clear that he blamed his fellow Republicans for leaving the GOP in this position.

“What we were trying to put forward was a provision that would get spending into the next year, allow us to reconstitute government with a new Congress, hopefully with a Republican House, Senate and White House . . . clear the decks so you’re not debating all this crap in December, get rid of the possibility of an omnibus, and, oh, by the way, have a real fight on the [Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act],” Roy said.

“But they wanted to be political Nostradamus and saying, ‘I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen.’ Well, no s— that’s what’s going to happen when you kill it in the cradle.”

CLUB FOR GROWTH POURS $5M INTO TIGHT HOUSE RACES AS GOP BRACES FOR TOUGH ELECTION

There’s no guarantee, however, that Johnson’s CR would be just a “clean” straightforward extension. 

Several GOP lawmakers have suggested they would back adding additional Secret Service or disaster relief funding to such a measure.

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And with Johnson’s razor-thin four-seat majority in general, it is all but certain that he will need help from Democrats to get any CR across the finish line. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

A federal judge temporarily blocked Tennessee’s law that prohibits adults from aiding minors in obtaining abortions without parental approval.

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger said in a Friday ruling that the state cannot “make it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion options even in a state that bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.

The law will now be placed on hold as the case moves through court.

“The Tennessee General Assembly apparently determined that, when the topic at hand is ‘abortion trafficking,’ the best interests of the pregnant child are not merely a secondary consideration, but unworthy of particularized consideration at all,” Trauger wrote.

TENNESSEE SUED OVER LAW BANNING ADULTS FROM HELPING MINORS GET ABORTIONS WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT

Earlier this year, lawmakers in Tennessee’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed legislation that was then signed by GOP Gov. Bill Lee making it illegal for an adult who “intentionally recruits, harbors, or transports” a pregnant minor within the state to obtain an abortion without consent from the child’s parents.

Anyone convicted of breaking the law would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which requires nearly one year in jail. The law does not include exemptions for minors who may have been raped by their parents, but a biological father who raped his daughter and caused her pregnancy cannot pursue civil action.

The Tennessee law, which took effect July 1, mimicked Idaho’s “abortion trafficking” law that was enacted last year, the first state to enact such legislation. But a federal judge has since temporarily blocked Idaho’s law as the case moves through court.

Shortly before Tennessee’s law was set to take effect, Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn and Nashville attorney Rachel Welty filed a lawsuit challenging the statute on the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24, 2022, decision overturning Roe v. Wade, returning the power to make laws regarding abortion back to the states.

TRUMP MAKES PLAY FOR WOMEN’S VOTE, VOWS TO ENSURE ‘POWERFUL EXCEPTIONS’ FOR ABORTION

Trauger’s ruling sided with the argument from Welty and Behn that the law was “unconstitutionally vague,” particularly pointing out that the word “recruits” is undefined in the law.

The judge also raised concerns about the First Amendment restrictions that she argues the law would impose.

“The freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment is not simply a special protection that the Constitution grants to a few, high-profile speakers so that those speakers can hear themselves talk; it is a protection available to everyone, for the interconnected benefit of everyone, because messages do not gain their fullest power by being uttered, but by being spread,” Trauger wrote.

Behn called Friday’s ruling a “monumental victory” for free speech and the fight for abortion access.

“This ruling doesn’t just protect Tennesseans — it safeguards the freedom to discuss abortion care across state lines, ensuring that we can continue to offer support, share accurate information, and stand up for the rights of those seeking essential health care everywhere,” she told The Associated Press.

Abortions are banned in Tennessee at all stages of pregnancy, with exemptions in cases of molar pregnancies, ectopic pregnancies or to save the life of the mother. Doctors must use their “reasonable medical” judgment in determining whether performing an abortion can save the life of the mother or prevent major injury.

A group of women is currently suing in a separate case to clarify the state’s abortion ban.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.