Attorney General Griffin Joins Louisiana and Alabama in Suing 29 Defendants for Shipping Abortion Pills across State Lines

BATON ROUGE – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after he and the attorneys general of Louisiana and Alabama sued 29 defendants for shipping abortion pills into their respective states, in violation of laws in each of the three states:

“The 2022 Dobbs decision made it clear that laws governing abortion will be established and enforced at the state level. Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana have each passed laws that prohibit the killing of unborn babies and bar groups outside the state from facilitating abortions inside our state borders. But organizations and individuals have repeatedly ignored those laws by shipping abortion pills to residents in each of our three states.

“Following a multi-year investigation, today we have filed a civil suit against 29 defendants for violating federal public nuisance common law. Our claims against the individuals and organizations behind this commercial operation also include violations of Arkansas’s consumer-protection laws. All 29 Defendants engaged in unconscionable conduct by knowingly violating Arkansas law and deliberately bypassing safeguards Arkansas requires to protect women and girls. They also misrepresented the safety, efficacy, legality, and FDA status of the drugs they sell, while leaving out material information about serious complications, the limitations of remote screening, and what can happen when a woman needs emergency care.

“In addition, Arkansas joined Alabama and Louisiana in filing an original action in the United States Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of California, Massachusetts, and New York’s shield laws. These laws unconstitutionally nullify the laws of pro-life states by insulating abortion providers from liability in Arkansas.

“The rule of law matters, and with this action, we are sending a clear signal that our states take our laws seriously. I have been proud to stand up for the lives of the unborn my entire time in public service, and I am proud to defend Arkansas’s pro-life laws through this action today. Arkansas’s General Assembly has repeatedly heeded the call to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children, and I will continue to fight to uphold the General Assembly’s duly passed laws protecting life.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill added the following statement:

“Louisiana has made its position on abortion clear through multiple bipartisan votes of its Legislature. Louisiana chooses life. We will not allow states, providers, or distributors to threaten Louisiana’s sovereignty, violate Louisiana law, endanger Louisiana women, or kill Louisiana babies.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall added the following statement:

“Alabama’s pro-life laws exist to protect mothers and their children. This is a coordinated scheme by bad actors from out of state to defy Alabama law and harm people in our state. These drugs are dangerous for women who take them, and these companies knowingly break our laws and brag about it in their advertising. If state sovereignty means anything, it means Alabama cannot be forced to accept the death of unborn children and the harm it causes to mothers because someone outside our borders disagrees with our choice to protect life.”

To read a copy of the complaint, click here.

To read the original action filed with the Supreme Court of the United States, click here.

To download a PDF of this release, click here.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

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