Today in one sentence: Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion; special counsel Jack Smith urged the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s claim that he's immune from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election; the EPA issued new rules to force more than 200 chemical plants across the U.S. to reduce their cancer-linked toxic air pollution; the European Court of Human Rights ruled – for the first time – that a country had violated human rights by not protecting its people from the effects of climate change; and for the 10th consecutive month Earth experienced record-high temperatures.

1/ Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion. The court ruled that a 1864 territorial law, which went into effect 48 years before Arizona became a state, supersedes the state’s 2022 15-week ban. Under the 19th-century law, abortion is outlawed from the moment of conception, except when necessary to save the life of the mother. It makes no exceptions for rape or incest, and doctors who administer an abortion face a mandatory prison sentence of two to five years. The court delayed implementation of the ban for at least two weeks to allow for additional legal arguments. The Biden campaign responded to the ruling, saying “this is what leaving it to the states looks like” – a reference to Trump’s suggestion that abortion restrictions should be a states’ rights issue. In a statement, Biden called the ban “cruel” and “a result of the extreme agenda of Republican elected officials who are committed to ripping away women’s freedom” and vowed to “continue to fight to protect reproductive rights.” In March 2022, the Republican-controlled Arizona Legislature enacted a 15-week trigger ban, which went into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Arizona’s near-total abortion ban is one of the strictest in the nation, similar to laws in Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi. (NBC News / Arizona Republic / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

2/ Special counsel Jack Smith urged the Supreme Court to reject Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. “The Framers never endorsed criminal immunity for a former President, and all Presidents from the Founding to the modern era have known that after leaving office they faced potential criminal liability for official acts,” Smith said. “The president’s constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed does not entail a general right to violate them.” The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on April 25, and a decision is expected by July. Trump faces four felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction. (ABC News / New York Times / Axios / Politico / CNN)

3/ The EPA issued new rules to force more than 200 chemical plants across the U.S. to reduce their cancer-linked toxic air pollution. The rule, the first update to national standards in nearly two decades, will cut more than 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution each year, and reduce emissions of ethylene oxide and chloroprene by 80%. The EPA estimates that around 104,000 people in the U.S. live within about 6 miles of facilities that use chemicals linked to cancer higher risks. Those living near such facilities are disproportionately low-income and minority neighborhoods that have elevated rates of cancer, respiratory problems, and premature deaths. (Axios / New York Times / Washington Post)

4/ The European Court of Human Rights ruled – for the first time – that a country had violated human rights by not protecting its people from the effects of climate change. In a first-of-its-kind case, a group of 2,000 Swiss women over 64 years old sued their government, arguing that climate change-driven heat waves undermined their health and quality of life, and put them at risk of dying. The court agreed that the Swiss government had violated their human rights due to “critical gaps” in its effort to enact laws to combat climate change. The court ordered Switzerland to put in place measures to address those shortcomings, and to pay the group’s legal expenses. (New York Times / The Verge / CNN / Bloomberg / Axios / Politico / Associated Press)

5/ For the 10th consecutive month Earth experienced record-high temperatures. Both the air and ocean temperatures reached their highest levels ever recorded in March. Over the past 12 months, average global temperatures have been 1.58C (2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, surpassing the Paris climate agreement threshold of 1.5C. (The Guardian / Axios / The Hill)

Three years ago today: Day 80: "Out of whack."
Four years ago today: Day 1176: No deal.
Five years ago today: Day 810: A mess.
Six years ago today: Day 445: Barbaric.