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RICO Law Use in Abortion Protests Under Review

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case testing whether medical clinics that offer abortions may use a federal anti-racketeering law to collect damages from protesters who use threats and violence to obstruct access to the clinics. The high court has upheld the use of the so-called RICO law well beyond its original intent to combat organized crime. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

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Nina Totenberg is NPR's award-winning legal affairs correspondent. Her reports air regularly on NPR's critically acclaimed newsmagazines All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.