Supreme Court's Thomas questions ability of groups to challenge US laws

June 13 (Reuters) - Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas called on the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reconsider a precedent established in 1977 that has allowed advocacy groups, trade associations and other organizations to routinely bring court challenges to government policies on behalf of their members.

Thomas laid out his position in an opinionNew Tab, opens new tab that concurred with the Supreme Court's 9-0 ruling rejecting efforts to restrict access the abortion pill mifepristone, used in more than 60% of U.S. abortions.

The court held that four anti-abortion medical associations and several individual doctors lacked the necessary legal standing to pursue their case challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of pill and subsequent actions facilitating access to it.

The legal fight over the drug may not be over, though, as a federal judge in Texas, where the case was originally filed, has since allowed three Republican-led states that ban abortion to join the case as plaintiffs.

Thomas, a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority, agreed with Thursday's ruling, saying it correctly found the Alliance for Hippocratic...
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