Florida judge strikes down 15-week abortion ban by placing 'burden' of proof on Ron DeSantis

Florida Circuit Judge John C. Cooper officially blocked a state law banning abortion after 15 weeks.

In a ruling entered on Tuesday, Cooper said that he was following a precedent set by the Florida Supreme Court, which decided in 1989 that the state's constitution gave women a right to privacy.

“This Court must follow the Florida Supreme Court’s precedents on the right to privacy as those precedents currently exist, not as they might exist in the future," Cooper wrote in his 68-page ruling.

Cooper noted that Florida's constitution includes a broader right to privacy than the United States Constitution.

"The Florida Supreme Court thereafter determined that this right to privacy is 'clearly implicated in a woman's decision of whether or not to continue her pregnancy,'" he wrote.

The Planned Parenthood victory will be likely nullified automatically when the state files for appeal. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has vowed to fight for the law that first took effect on Friday. Cooper said that the DeSantis administration had the "burden" of proving that the law serves a "compelling state interest."