The filing over the regulation of mifepristone indicates an emerging pattern: An effort to preserve executive power.

Lawyers for the Justice Department argued the lawsuit has no basis for procedural reasons, but did not get into the legality of the drug or its use.

Trump told Time magazine in December he would not restrict access to abortion medication. On the campaign trail, the Republican said abortion is an issue for the states and stressed that he appointed justices to the Supreme Court who were in the majority when striking down the national right to abortion in 2022.