Presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield MORE (D) expressed support Monday for a judge’s temporary ruling allowing a South Bend abortion provider to operate without a state license.

"I'm definitely standing with those who want to provide support for those women," Buttigieg said in response to the ruling in favor of Whole Woman's Health Alliance.

Buttigieg also criticized Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s (R) appeal of the ruling, telling WNDU, "I view the attorney general's actions as politically motivated. I don't think that they will withstand the courts under current case law."

"...I view the Attorney General's actions as politically motivated. I don't think that they will withstand the courts under current case law." pic.twitter.com/sH6cBjqVnr — Joshua Short (@JoshuaShortWNDU) June 3, 2019

The clinic sued the state of Indiana last year after its health department denied it an operating license, saying the provider did not meet the requirement of a “reputable and responsible character,” according to WSBT 22, the local CBS affiliate.

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"We hold that the state stands to lose little if an injunction is issued, but women in northern Indiana stand to lose a great deal if it is not," Judge Sarah Evans Barker wrote in her ruling.

"The ruling is clear: the court sees the undue burden that women in northern Indiana face when seeking to end a pregnancy," the clinic said in a statement. "We came to South Bend at the request of members of the community, and we are happy to say we can soon open our doors. It has been a long road, but today is a very good day."

Hill’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Buttigieg has spoken out against a recent series of restrictive abortion laws in states such as Ohio, Alabama and Georgia but stopped short of calling for legislation that would codify the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision into federal law. "I think that's something that deserves to be taken seriously. I haven't seen the full range of ideas on how to do that," he said in May.