US Supreme Court to hear Texas abortion law case on Nov 1

The US Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear legal challenges on November 1 to an abortion law passed in Texas, but declined to block the restrictive legislation in the meantime.

President Joe Biden's administration and abortion providers are asking the court to overturn the Texas law which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant.

The Justice Department and other parties to the case were given until October 27 to file their briefs with oral arguments scheduled for November 1.

Abortion providers and the Justice Department say the Texas law violates the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe V Wade, which enshrined a woman's legal right to an abortion.