A Utah Supreme Court justice who initially refused to recuse himself from a high-profile abortion-rights case has reversed course and will now sit out the litigation, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The justice had faced calls to recuse due to public statements about abortion and his membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opposes most abortions.

The case challenges Utah's near-total abortion ban, which took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Abortion-rights advocates argued the justice's religious affiliation and prior comments created an appearance of bias. The justice initially declined to step aside, citing judicial independence, but changed his position this week without detailed explanation.

The decision means the case will be heard by a reconfigured panel. Utah's Supreme Court has a supermajority of Latter-day Saint justices, and recusal questions around religiously charged cases have drawn scrutiny in recent years.