TOPEKA, KS. (AP) - The Kansas Supreme Court temporarily blocks the start of a Sedgwick County Grand Jury to investigate abortion provider George Tiller. The court's order Friday stops the grand jury from starting its work until the court can decide if the panel should convene.

The Grand jury had been scheduled to begin its work next Tuesday.

The order by Chief Justice Kay McFarland was in response to a petition filed by Dr. Tiller, who is one of the nation's few late-term abortion providers. Abortion opponents accuse Tiller of violating a 1998 state law restricting late-term abortions, an allegation his attorneys repeatedly have said is unfounded.

Stay with KSN News and KSN.Com for more on this developing story.