OnPolitics: The Supreme Court takes on abortion

The race for New York's 2022 gubernatorial election just got a little more interesting today.

Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, officially entered the race on Tuesday, joining a growing Republican field for the 2022 election.

That's not the only election-related news.

Rep. Val Demings, a former police chief in her third term in Congress, is expected to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican Marco Rubio in 2022.

It's Mabinty, with the non-2022 election news of the day.

But first: Legislation meant to combat hate incidents against Asian Americans is on the brink of final approval in Congress.

About that Capitol riot bipartisan commission...

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed legislation Tuesday that would create a bipartisan commission to study the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which some lawmakers have suggested could subpoena him as a witness.

The leaders of the Homeland Security Committee – Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. John Katko of New York, the top Republican on the panel – unveiled the legislation Friday to create a 10-member commission that would issue a report by Dec. 31.

Why is he against it? McCarthy said that numerous committees are reviewing the event and that the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the building and grounds, was allocated $10 million to remedy security vulnerabilities.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accused Republicans of cowardice and said she was pleased to have bipartisan legislation to create a commission. “It’s disappointing but not surprising that the cowardice on the part of some on the Republican side not to want to find the truth," Pelosi told reporters Tuesday.

Will Roe v. Wade stand?

With six conservatives on the nine-member Supreme Court for the first time in decades and confusion over a 2019 Supreme Court decision, anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates are leaning in to test the limits of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and a landmark 1992 case that controls when states may regulate the procedure.

Conservative states are rapidly passing laws. At least 23 abortion-related cases are pending in federal appeals courts, according to the anti-abortion advocacy group Susan B. Anthony List.

Two trends drive optimism among anti-abortion groups: a more conservative Supreme Court and a number of diverging opinions in federal appeals courts over how to interpret similar laws, creating "circuit splits" that only the Supreme Court can resolve.

Major news this week: After dodging the abortion issue in a number of recent cases, the court surprised some observers Monday by announcing it would hear the appeal out of Mississippi, one of several states banning abortion before the point a fetus is viable outside the womb, the standard set by the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision in 1992.

Read more from USA TODAY's John Fritze on the increase in abortion restrictions.

Headlines you might have missed:

• ‘Huge numbers’ of abortion cases heading to Supreme Court to test limits of Roe v. Wade

• Andrew Cuomo's COVID book deal is worth $5 million, new tax records show

• Case of Crystal Mason, sentenced to 5 years in prison for voter fraud, looms over Texas Republican push to stiffen voting laws

• Texas Senate tries again to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths

Congrats to Naomi Campbell on her first child! — Mabinty

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Courts faces an increase of abortion cases