SCOTUS Issues Eleventh Hour Stay Against Enforcement of Contraceptive Mandate

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor signed an order last night that temporarily prevents the U.S. government from enforcing the contraceptive mandate against the Catholic organizations that filed a lawsuit earlier this year.



This is the same case in which the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust is a plaintiff. The Order gives the Obama Administration until 10:00 Friday morning (Jan. 3) to file a response with the Court. At that time the Court will likely issue either a retraining order that could remain in place until the case makes its way through the courts, or it could lift the injunction and allow penalties to start accruing against the plaintiffs if they do not comply with the mandate while the case moves through the courts.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the Little Sisters of the Poor in the law suit, has an announcement on its website reporting on the last minute stay by the Supreme Court.

Stay tuned.