On Thursday, citing New York’s shield law, the acting clerk of Ulster County in Kingston, N.Y., Taylor Bruck, said he would not grant Texas’ motion seeking to enforce the Collin County order. He also refused to allow Texas to file a summons that sought to force Dr. Carpenter to pay the penalty and comply with the Texas ruling.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had sued the New York doctor in December, accusing her of violating his state's ban by providing abortion pills to a resident. When the doctor and her attorneys failed to appear,