Wisconsin's top state court on Wednesday said an 1849 state law banning abortion in virtually all cases cannot be enforced, rejecting claims that it was revived after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling three years ago.

The Wisconsin supreme court has reversed the state's 1849 abortion ban. The court decided that a more recent law takes precedence. This law criminalizes abortions only when the fetus is viable outside the womb.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority struck down the state's 176-year-old abortion ban on Wednesday, ruling 4-3 that it was superseded by a newer state law that criminalizes abortions only after a fetus can survive outside the womb.