Some of the Republican-appointed members of the Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed doubts about the standing of plaintiffs seeking to restrict access to the abortion pill, an encouraging sign for the Biden administration as it seeks to maintain broad access to the medication.

Justices appointed from both parties questioned the legal basis for the doctors in the case to sue the Food and Drug Administration regarding the approval of the drug. The question about standing played a central role in the oral arguments over whether the FDA violated the Administrative Procedures Act when it incrementally loosened restrictions on the abortion pill in 2016 and 2021.