Hobby Lobby’s legal battle against the abortion/contraceptive mandate received a boost March 29 when the full 10th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to hear the company’s case.
Such “en banc” hearings are relatively rare.
In November a federal judge ruled that Hobby Lobby must cover the drugs in its employee health insurance plans, and in December a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit refused to step in and prevent Hobby Lobby from being impacted by the mandate.
Under the federal government’s mandate, businesses must cover contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs as part of their health insurance plans. The abortion-causing drugs come under brand names such as Plan B and ella and also are known as emergency contraceptives.
The 10th Circuit said it will expedite oral arguments and will set a date soon.
Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts store, is owned by a Christian family who says the mandate violates their beliefs and their constitutionally protected freedoms. That family, the Greens, also owns Mardel, a Christian bookstore chain that also is part of the suit.
With more than 500 stores in 41 states, Hobby Lobby’s owners always have made their faith a central part of their business. Their stores play Christian instrumental music and are closed on Sundays. Hobby Lobby contributes to Christian organizations and runs full-page ads in newspapers during the Easter and Christmas seasons with gospel-centered messages.
“These abortion-causing drugs go against our faith, and our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful,” David Green, Hobby Lobby’s founder and CEO, said in September. “We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.” – BP