Washington ( CNN ) -- The Supreme Court for now has ordered Texas not to enforce a law that had effectively shut down several clinics that provide abortions . The court 's order means those clinics can reopen immediately . The restrictions had gone into effect in recent days , but a number of abortion rights supporters then asked the justices to intervene on an emergency basis . The 6-3 order Tuesday from the high court was a setback for the law 's backers . A ruling by a federal appeals court earlier this month gave Texas the green light to move forward on the mandate requiring all abortion clinics in the state be `` ambulatory surgical centers , '' regulated under the same standards as hospitals . Another challenged provision would force doctors performing abortions to first obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital . Abortion rights groups said 13 reproductive health clinics were forced to immediately close after the court ruling , leaving all but eight still operating . The high court 's action would only have temporary effect , until more appeals can be filed on the larger questions of the Texas law 's constitutionality . That process may take several months , at least , to resolve at the appeals court level . The Supreme Court refused to intervene previously when other sections of the Texas law were challenged in court . Lawmakers in the state 's Republican-majority legislature have said the regulations would improve patient care and safety . Abortion rights groups counter , saying the law is designed to make it nearly impossible to operate an abortion clinic in Texas . The Center for Reproductive Rights had sued Texas this past spring , on behalf of a coalition of abortion clinics . In August , a federal judge ruled that the `` ambulatory surgical centers '' requirement was unconstitutional and imposed an injunction . Thursday 's appeals court ruling lifted that injunction and allowed the measure to go into effect immediately . Abortion rights groups cheered the justices ' intervention . `` The U.S. Supreme Court gave Texas women a tremendous victory today , '' said Nancy Northup , president of the Center for Reproductive Rights . `` This fight against Texas ' sham abortion law is not over . HB2 was designed to gut the constitutional protections of Roe v. Wade and half of the state 's clinics remain closed. `` There was no immediate reaction from state officials to the Supreme Court 's one-page order , which Justices Antonin Scalia , Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito opposed . A spokeswoman for the state attorney general 's office , who earlier defended the law , said it was passed after `` careful deliberation by the Texas Legislature to craft a law to protect the health and safety of Texas women . '' Abortion rights groups counter the mandate will leave women of reproductive age in the state with minimal health care options , and called the appeals court decision `` demonstrably wrong . '' Clinic supporters said before the bill was enacted , there were 41 facilities in Texas providing abortions . The law also bans abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy and tightens usage guidelines for `` abortion-inducing drugs '' such as RU-486 . Critics contend the law , in addition to eliminating abortion across huge swaths of the state , will further deny access to many women in rural communities and will force women to seek dangerous `` back-alley '' abortions . Republican Gov . Rick Perry signed the bill into law last year . The high court case is Whole Woman 's Health v. Lakey ( 14A365 ) .
Strict new law caused some Texas abortion clinics to close . Ruling 6-3 , the Supreme Court tells Texas not to enforce that law for now . The action will only have temporary effect , until more appeals can be filed . Texas lawmakers said the regulations would improve patient care and safety .