Title: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia
Headings: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014)
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014)
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Content: The Greens claimed that being mandated to cover those contraceptive methods violated their rights to exercise their religious freedoms enumerated in the First Amendment to the US Constitution and protected by the RFRA. In response to the Greens’ arguments, the HHS contested Hobby Lobby’s ability to make claims under the RFRA. The HHS argued that the RFRA, as drafted by US Congress, protected only an individual’s right to freedom of religion. A for-profit corporation, the HHS claimed, did not constitute an individual. According to the HHS, Hobby Lobby was a company composed of individuals with many different beliefs. The HHS argued that Hobby Lobby could not claim that the contraceptive mandate burdened the corporation’s religious beliefs, as they were a non-religious corporation comprised of individuals capable of exercising their personal religious beliefs. During the initial stages of the case, the Greens and Hobby Lobby sought a preliminary injunction that would require the HHS to cease enforcement of the contraception mandate to the involved parties for the duration of the trial. With a preliminary injunction, Hobby Lobby would not be charged any tax penalties for failing to meet the contraception mandate of the ACA until the case was decided. In November 2012, however, the judge who heard the case, Joe Heaton, denied Hobby Lobby’s request for a preliminary injunction. According to Heaton, for-profit organizations, such as Hobby Lobby Inc., are not religiously affiliated and therefore cannot claim rights to religious freedom.