Todd Blanche Confirmed as Attorney General After Anti-Abortion Comments

August 10, 2026:

Todd Blanche Confirmed as Attorney General After Anti-Abortion Comments

Plus: Voters in Kansas and Missouri reject ballot initiatives that may have further curbed abortion access.

Photograph of protesters outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. One sign reads "Abortion is a personal, not a legal debate."

Each week, Rewire News Group editors scour headlines nationwide—from lawsuits over abortion access to LGBTQ+ rights—to bring you the most urgent news in reproductive justice. Here’s what you need to know from the past week’s biggest stories.

Todd Blanche confirmed as U.S. attorney general

In a narrow overnight vote, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed as attorney general on Aug. 8—without a yes vote from GOP Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who’s up for reelection in November. Collins declared on Aug. 4 that she would not vote to confirm Blanche for AG after he promised to prohibit the mailing of abortion pills. Collins says she’s a pro-choice Republican, but has been criticized for voting to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who later helped overturn Roe. Collins’ 2022 vote against the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would have federally protected abortion, further sullies her public record on reproductive freedom—an increasingly central issue in November’s election.

Kansas voters reject GOP court reform plan

Kansas Supreme Court justices will continue to be selected via a “merit-based” process after voters this week rejected a ballot initiative that would have required them to be elected. Conservative groups led the effort to change the makeup of the state’s top court, which has historically upheld abortion rights. In one of his last acts as a county judge, now-Justice K. Christopher Jayaram on Aug. 4 struck down multiple state laws that had forced waiting periods and required providers to discuss debunked abortion “reversal.”

Missouri blocks effort to make ballot proposals harder to get in front of voters

On Aug. 4, Missouri voters trounced a GOP proposal that would have made it harder to get citizen-led constitutional amendments on the ballot. Such measures have made progressive change in the conservative state: In 2024, voters enshrined reproductive freedom into Missouri’s constitution. A judge then quashed a host of regulations that had prevented many clinics from providing care, and several now offer abortions pills. In November, a ballot initiative will ask voters if they want to repeal their reproductive rights.

This news roundup is adapted from our newsletter, Rewire Weekly. Sign up here to get the latest reproductive rights news, expert analysis, and a peek into the RNG newsroom—fresh to your inbox.

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