WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - The Clinton administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow it to wade into a court battle over a Nebraska abortion law on the side of those who want it overturned.

    The Justice Department asked the court to let it's lawyers participate when the case is argued before the justices on April 27. In a brief filed with the request, the administration argued that Nebraska's ban on partial-birth abortions is unconstitutional for three reasons.

    First, they said, the law is so broadly worded that more than one type of abortion could be prosecuted and, second, it is too vague to allow doctors to know just which abortion types are banned. Third, even if the law was restricted in its definition, it unduly burdens a woman's right to abortion because "it fails to provide an exception to preserve the pregnant woman's health." The only exception to Nebraska's ban is if the outlawed procedure is necessary to save a woman's life.

    The Nebraska case is the first major abortion ruling by the court since a 1992 ruling reaffirming the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand. The case, known as Stenberg vs. Carhart, could affect partial-birth abortion bans in 30 states.