Maria Rojas injunction reversed by Texas appeals court
A Texas appeals court overturned an order that shut Maria Rojas’ clinics, while Ken Paxton’s office says it will appeal.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
A Texas appeals court has reversed the Maria Rojas injunction that had stopped the Houston-area midwife, who is accused of performing illegal abortions, from operating her clinics.
The 15th Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that the state had not supplied enough evidence to support the Waller County order issued in March 2025. The decision sends the civil case back to the trial court.
Rojas has pleaded not guilty. She is also facing criminal charges tied to allegations that she performed abortions, according to CBS News.
What did the appeals court decide about Maria Rojas?
In a memorandum opinion, the appeals court said the trial court should not have admitted probable-cause affidavits from a separate criminal case. The court also found that the remaining evidence did not reasonably support the state’s claim that it was likely entitled to relief.
The ruling undoes the injunction that had effectively shut down clinics Rojas owned and operated in the Houston area, according to her attorney Jenna Hudson of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Those clinics included Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring.
Hudson told CBS News the ruling showed the state had presented no evidence that Rojas had done anything wrong. She added that the reversal may not restore what Rojas lost, saying the “damage is done.”
Hudson said the clinics have closed and that Rojas likely cannot reopen them in practical terms. She said Rojas’ bond conditions bar her from going near the clinic locations.
Hudson also said Rojas can no longer work in the career she trained for, after decades as a midwife, because of the criminal charges and civil case.
What is the case against Rojas?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office accused Rojas last year of performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license. Under Texas law, performing an abortion is a second-degree felony, and the state has a strict abortion ban with narrow exceptions.
CBS News reported that Rojas is the first person sued under the Texas Human Life Protection Act. The case has drawn national attention because it tests the use of Texas abortion restrictions against an individual provider accused by the state.
Rojas remains on house arrest while the criminal case continues. Nicole Hochglaube, who represents Rojas in the criminal case, told CBS News that Rojas is “hanging in there” while unable to work and that the process has been very difficult for her.
No trial date has been set in the criminal case, according to CBS News.
What happens next?
The appeals court decision returns the civil case to the trial court, where state lawyers could try again to obtain a temporary restraining order.
Paxton’s office told CBS News on Thursday that it plans to ask the Texas Supreme Court to review the decision. In its statement, the office said Paxton had secured bond conditions that it said protect Texas women from what it called Rojas’ illegal abortion scheme.
The attorney general’s office also said it wants the Texas Supreme Court to address temporary injunction procedure in this case and others.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.