North Dakota’s abortion ban is back in effect after the state Supreme Court on Friday failed to reach the four-justice supermajority required to strike it down — a decision that may influence ongoing debates and access issues across neighboring states, including Wyoming.

The five-member court split 3–2, with three justices finding the law unconstitutionally vague and two concluding it was constitutional. But under North Dakota’s unusually high standard for overturning laws, at least four justices must agree. The court’s deadlock means last year’s district court ruling blocking the ban cannot stand.

North Dakota’s law is now among the most restrictive in the nation. It makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine — though patients thems

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