Title: Obamacare v. the First Amendment | TheHill
Headings: Obamacare v. the First Amendment
Obamacare v. the First Amendment
Content: Obamacare v. the First Amendment | TheHill
Obamacare v. the First Amendment
The Supreme Court of the United States is no stranger to matters involving excessive presidential power over businesses and individuals. A key part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s National Industrial Recovery Act was struck down by the high court in 1935, which ruled unanimously in Schechter v. United States that the act gave too much power to the president in regulating work hours and wages. Presidential power came under the eye of the court 17 years later when Harry Truman issued an executive order seizing control of steel mills. The decision in Youngstown Sheet & Tube v. Sawyer, handed down in 1952, declared the president exceeded his authority in taking over large swaths of the steel industry. ADVERTISEMENT
On Tuesday, March 25th, the Supreme Court contemplated the rights of business, and the extent to which the government can arbitrarily impose its will over the First Amendment rights of private companies. The case of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. brings the Affordable Care Act and its health care mandates to the legal forefront. The oral arguments, presented March 25, represent the final step toward a court decision that will have far reaching ramifications. Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts retailer with some 550 stores nationwide, has articulated its position clearly and simply; it has no interest in making health care decisions for its 21,000 employees. But the dictates of Obamacare currently force Hobby Lobby and other businesses to violate their conscience.