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U.S.Reported

US Supreme Court won’t intervene in custody dispute between California couple and surrogate

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in a custody dispute over a 5-week-old child who was born in Texas after a surrogate refused a California couple's wishes to have an abortion. Justice Elena Kagan denied the request from McKenna West, who was seeking conservatorship over a baby boy she gave birth to in Dallas. The brief order did not detail the legal reasoning, as is typical in emergency appeals.

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Scoop News DeskUs · Published Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 9:35 PM UTCUpdated Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC

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The legal battle over surrogacy and abortion has attracted the attention and support of Republican officeholders and anti-abortion groups.