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July 23, 2026 / 8:06 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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An injunction that stopped a Texas midwife charged with performing illegal abortions from operating her Houston-area clinics was reversed Thursday, but her attorney says the "damage is done." The 15th Court of Appeals determined the state did not provide sufficient evidence for the injunction issued in Waller County, Texas, in March 2025 against Maria Rojas. "We conclude that the trial court improperly admitted probable-cause affidavits from a related but separate criminal case and that the remaining evidence is insufficient to reasonably support the existence of a probable right of recovery," a memorandum opinion from the court stated.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office accused Rojas of performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license last year. Performing an abortion is a second-degree felony in Texas, where there is a strict ban on the procedure in place with narrow exceptions. Rojas' case has garnered national attention as she is the first person to be sued under the Texas Human Life Protection Act. The law bans abortions after six weeks. "The ruling this morning confirmed that the state presented no evidence that Ms. Rojas has done anything wrong," said Jenna Hudson, one of the attorneys with the Center for Reproductive Rights representing Rojas in the civil case. Rojas has pleaded not guilty.However, "the damage is done," Hudson told CBS News. "The clinics have closed. As a practical matter, she likely cannot reopen them. She is prevented under the terms of her bond from going near the locations of the clinics."Rojas owned and operated multiple Houston-area clinics, including Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring. The temporary restraining order issued in Waller County effectively closed those clinics and even with the injunction being struck by a higher court, Hudson says Rojas will not be able to recover professionally.
