The Supreme Court announced Friday it will hear a bloc of seven cases, all of which seek to challenge ObamaCare's birth control mandate citing religious objections.
This marks the second time in three years the "contraceptive mandate" has come before the court, and the fourth time in five years it has squared off against President Obama's health care law, reported USA Today. The last time the subject was in court was last year in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. case when SCOTUS ruled that privately held for-profit corporations to be exempt from a law its owners religiously object to if there are less restrictive means of upholding the law.
The Obama administration adjusted the mandate this summer following the ruling, expanding the definition of which businesses can seek exemptions from ObamaCare.
The administration's attempt to appease religious groups failed, however, and multiple groups, including Little Sisters of the Poor, filed a suit arguing that the new law still infringes on their rights guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, according to The Hill.
Under the government's workaround, Little Sisters of the Poor and other related groups notify their insurance plans of their religious objections, shifting the obligation to offer contraceptive coverage from the nuns to the managers of the plan.
The court's decision to take this case has left some confused about the justices' motivations. The Little Sisters use a special form of health plan called the "ERISA-exempt church plan" which likely exempts the plan from having to offer birth control coverage no matter how the justices resolve the issue, according to ThinkProgress.
Despite this however, the Little Sisters argue they would still be facilitating a practice they oppose.
