On February 14, 2013, the Catholic managing partner of a law firm and the law firm itself filed a 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 American Center for Law and Justice, 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 require them to violate their religious beliefs and moral values, the plaintiffs sought an exemption from the ACA's contraception mandate for themselves and other institutions with similar religious objections.

On February 28, 2013, plaintiffs moved for a preliminary injunction. On March 5, 2013, defendants entered a notice of non-opposition to the preliminary injunction and moved to stay proceedings. On March 7, 2013, the Honorable Sheila Finnegan remanded proceedings to U.S. District Judge Ronald A. Guzman in light of defendants' non-opposition.

On March 20, 2013, Judge Guzman granted plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction and defendants' motion to stay proceedings pending resolution of Korte v. Sebeliusand Grote v. Sebelius, two cases before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that also dealt with parties seeking exemption from the ACA on religious grounds.

On October 17, 2013, Judge Guzman lifted the stay on all civil litigation in this case. As of April 4, 2014, this case is still ongoing.

Emma Lawton - 11/11/2013
Richard Jolly - 04/04/2014


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