Hobby Lobby files Supreme Court brief asking protection from contraception mandate
The arts and crafts business Hobby Lobby filed a Supreme Court brief Monday asking that its owners be protected from violating their religious beliefs by complying with the ObamaCare contraception mandate.
The mission statement for Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is an unabashed nod to the founders’ faith: “Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.”
At the Supreme Court Monday, the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom, which is representing Hobby Lobby, filed a brief asking the Greens be protected from having to violate their religious beliefs or face large fines.Company president Steve Green, son of founder David Green, said in an interview with Fox News that means a refusal to comply with the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate stemming from the Affordable Care Act.
According to the Becket Fund, the brief calls the mandate “one of the most straightforward violations … this Court is likely to see” of a 1993 law preserving the free exercise of faith.”
A Supreme Court brief filed by the federal government last month argues that the Greens’ individual religious beliefs cannot be transferred to the business entity it owns and controls. The case will be argued at the Supreme Court on March 25th, with an opinion due from the Justices by the end of June.
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