KINGSTON, N.Y. — Texas officials have filed an appeal after a New York court upheld Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck’s decision to reject a filing related to a Texas civil judgment against a New Paltz doctor.
The appeal is the latest development in an ongoing legal battle testing the strength of New York’s Shield Law, which protects abortion providers from out-of-state legal actions, and the ability of other states to enforce such judgments in New York.
Ulster County Clerk Taylor Bruck said his office acted lawfully in rejecting the filing, citing protections established under New York law. “Let me be clear, the Ulster County Clerk’s Office acted in accordance with New York law, including the protections established under New York’s Shield Law, and the court upheld that position,” he said.
The case centers on a Texas judgment against Dr. Margaret Carpenter of New Paltz. The Ulster County Clerk’s Office previously declined to file paperwork related to the judgment, arguing that doing so would conflict with New York’s legal protections for reproductive health care providers.
A New York court upheld the clerk’s decision, finding the office acted within the scope of state law. Texas officials have since appealed that ruling. “As the case proceeds through the appellate process, our office will continue carrying out its responsibilities under the laws of the State of New York,” Bruck said.
He said the dispute is a legal matter, not a political one. “In rejecting the Texas filing, I was simply following the law of this State,” Bruck said. “The issues in this case at stake are legal in nature; I trust the courts to decide them.”
In late March, Bruck notified Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that he would not file a summary judgment against Carpenter, who faces charges in Texas for providing an abortion pill via telehealth last year to a Texas resident.
The Texas judgment seeks a civil penalty of more than $100,000 over Carpenter’s prescription of mifepristone, an FDA-approved medication used in abortion care.
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