On April 11, 2011, Media Research Center filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Plaintiff, represented by private counsel, asked the court for a declaration that it qualified as an eligible organization under the religious organization exception to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate. The Plaintiff also asked for a declaration that the contraception mandate violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and for an injunction preventing HHS from enforcing the contraception mandate against it.

On August 1, 2014, the Court (Judge Gerald Lee) denied Plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction and dismissed Plaintiff's claim of entitlement to a declaration that it qualified as an eligible organization for lack of standing. Specifically, the Court held that Plaintiff was not likely to succeed in proving that the contraception mandate violated the Establishment Clause, and that Plaintiff did not allege facts sufficient to prove that it was imminently likely that the government was going to enforce penalties for violation of the contraception mandate against Plaintiff.

On October 14, 2014, the Court (Judge Gerald Lee) accepted Plaintiff's stipulation of dismissal of the remainder of the suit without prejudice.

Edward Mroczkowski - 02/02/2015


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