Judge denies Republicans' attempt to join state abortion lawsuit

A federal judge has rejected Wisconsin Republican lawmakers' attempt to intervene in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood challenging the state's abortion restrictions.

U.S. District Judge William Conley on Tuesday rejected the request from Republicans who control the Legislature. The judge says the lawmakers didn't demonstrate a right to intervene.

Conley also says allowing them to intervene "would likely infuse additional politics into an already politically-divisive area of the law and needlessly complicate this case."

Planned Parenthood sued in January seeking to repeal requirements that only doctors perform abortions, women seeking abortion-inducing drugs see the same doctor twice and doctors be present when dispensing the drugs.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul is defending the restrictions but Republicans don't trust him, saying he supports abortion.