I personally have given up all hope that anything good will ever come out of the U.S. Supreme Court but for those of you who have not killed the last glimmer of hope with steel teethed reality shards, this could be a big day.
I’m in a mood, I guess.
Life and religious freedom are the two BIG ISSUES that America will be deciding in the near future. The justices on the other side of this issue will stop at nothing to win and some of the justices on my side of the issue want to be liked and respected by those on the other side of the issue. So yeah, doom.
Attorneys from the Jones Day law firm, which is representing Thomas Aquinas College in its legal challenge of the HHS contraceptive mandate, report that the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for the case on the morning of March 23.
Last November the Court announced that it would hear seven cases filed by religious organizations in opposition to the mandate, which compels them to facilitate free contraceptive, abortifacient, and sterilization coverage for their employees. The College’s case is among those seven, which the Court has consolidated into a single case, Zubik v. Burwell, and which also includes the case brought by the Little Sisters of the Poor. In January the College’s attorneys submitted a legal brief outlining their arguments to the Court.
At the March 23 hearing, the Court’s nine justices will question attorneys representing the College, other plaintiffs, and the government about the case. A decision in the case is expected before the end of the high court’s session in June.
“We eagerly await our day in court,” says college president Dr. Michael F. McLean, “and hope very much that we will prevail, certainly for the good of Thomas Aquinas College, but also for all institutions and citizens of faith. For the outcome of Zubik vs. Burwell will determine whether or not American citizens of all faiths can be compelled by the federal government to violate their deeply held religious beliefs. This is a watershed moment for our country.”
HT Thomas Aquinas College
