Little Sisters of the Poor win Supreme Court injunction barring enforcement of HHS mandate

January 24, 2014

The Little Sisters of the Poor have won an injunction, issued by the Supreme Court, that temporarily bars the Obama administration from enforcing the HHS contraceptive mandate against them.

In a terse judgment issued on January 24, the Supreme Court ruled that if the Little Sisters of the Poor assert in writing "that they are non-profit organizations that hold themselves out as religious and have religious objections to providing coverage for contraceptive services," the administration is barred from enforcing the requirement for contraceptive coverage in employees' health-care plans.

The Supreme Court rule applies directly only to the Little Sisters of the Poor, but the logic of the case may be applied to other groups who have raised legal challenges against the contraceptive mandate.

The court order specifies that in asserting their religious character, the Little Sisters of the Poor are not obliged to use the form providing by the Obama administration. The nuns had objected to that form, saying that by approving it they would be authorizing insurers to supply contraceptives, in violation of their moral principles.

The Supreme Court order indicates that the injunction will remain in place until the underlying lawsuit, Little Sisters of the Poor v. Sebelius, is resolved. The order notes that the injunction is not intended as an expression of the Supreme Court's judgment on the merits of that case.

 

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Further information:

• Supreme Court sides with religious group in Obamacare appeal (CNN)
• Nuns get partial win in U.S. Supreme Court contraception fight (Reuters)
• Supreme Court order in case of Little Sisters v. Sebelius (Text)