Coale Mind
Hosted by leading Texas appellate lawyer David Coale, each "Coale Mind" episode offers concise, lively, and practical exploration of today's hot-button constitutional issues.
Coale Mind
"In re Debs" - the 1895 railroad-strike case that may control the Texas abortion dispute
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David Coale
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Season 2
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Episode 8
In 1895, the Supreme Court affirmed a contempt conviction against Eugene Debs, the leader of a nationwide strike by railroad workers. The conviction arose from a federal-court injunction, obtained by federal prosecutors to prevent private actors from infringing on activity protected by the U.S. Constitution. Both the United States and the State of Texas rely on that opinion, In re Debs, in the ongoing litigation about the constitutionality of the new Texas abortion statute. The strength of the analogy between the Texas case and Debs will form an important part of the opinion that the Supreme Court ultimately reaches about that law.