N.Y. Catholics Groups Win Court Bar to Contraception Mandate

[Valin]

Businessweek:

Christie Smythe

December 16, 2013

 

A group of Catholic health and educational organizations dont have to comply with a federal Affordable Care Act requirement to provide their employees with contraception coverage, a federal judge in New York ruled.

 

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn today barred the government from enforcing the mandate against Catholic Health Care System, Catholic Health Services of Long Island, Cardinal Spellman High School and Monsignor Farrell High School.

 

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the health and educational groups challenged the mandate on religious freedom grounds. After the U.S. issued a rule exempting the archdiocese, schools and health-care affiliates were still subject to the law, which takes effect Jan. 1.

 

(Snip)

 

 

H/T NRO/The Corner

[SrWoodchuck]

One small victory. Wonder if the courts will find that they have "standing?"

[Valin]

Six Important Take-Aways From Yesterday's Decision Striking Down The Contraception Mandate in New York

December 17, 2013

 

Yesterday, a district court judge struck down the Obamacare contraception mandate as applied to the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and its constituent organizations as a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. You can read the decision here (PDF), but I wanted to highlight some important parts.

 

1. This is the first litigation to result in a final injunction against the contraception mandate for religious non-profit organizations that come within the Obama Administration's purported exemption to the mandate.....(Snip)

 

2. Not even the Obama administration knows what its proposed regulations do.....(Snip)

 

3. The Obama administration doesn't take religious beliefs seriously.....(Snip)

 

4. The Obama administration has handed out so many exceptions to the law, it can no longer claim the law serves a compelling purpose.....(Snip)

 

5. The Obama administration's belated argument that the religious organizations may not actually end up providing any contraception coverage fatally undermined the administration's case......(Snip)

 

6. The Obama administration thinks it has a general exception from complying with the Constitution.....(Snip)

 

 

H/T Hot Air