On February 4, 2013, the Christian owners of a nursing home and assisted-living corporation and the corporation itself filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois under the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ("RFRA"), and the Administrative Procedures Act ("APA"), against the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury. The plaintiffs, represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom-DC and private counsel, asked the court for both declaratory and injunctive relief, alleging the federal rules adopted pursuant to the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("ACA") violated their religious freedom by requiring the corporation to provide employee insurance coverage for contraception through its group health insurance plan. Claiming that providing coverage for contraception would contravene both their Christian faith and compel speech and association contrary to their beliefs, the plaintiffs sought an exemption from the ACA's contraception mandate for themselves and other institutions with similar religious objections.

On February 15, 2013, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. On July 3, 2013, U.S. District Judge Daniel issued an order deferring all motions in this case pending resolution upon remand of the plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius.

On September 6, 2013, the court issued an order granting a preliminary injunction. On October 21, 2013, the court issued an order staying the action pending the Supreme Court's disposition of the Government's petition for writ of certiorari in Hobby Lobby v. Sebelius.

On November 5, 2013, the defendants filed a notice of appeal of the preliminary injunction to the Tenth Circuit. On November 7, 2013, the Tenth Circuit granted the defendant's motion to abate the case pending the Supreme Court's decision in Hobby Lobby. On September 4, 2014, following the Supreme Court's decision in Hobby Lobby, the Tenth Circuit granted government's motion to voluntarily dismiss its appeal. On January 27, 2015, the District Court ordered an injunction against the government, prohibiting it from enforcing against the plaintiffs the version of the contraception mandate challenged in Hobby Lobby. The district court also ordered the parties to come to an agreement on attorneys' fees and costs.

Emma Lawton - 11/25/2013
Mallory Jones - 02/09/2014
Kate Craddock - 07/24/2016


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