Dear Friends,
As
I mentioned last week, there is just so much to catch you up on. The
last couple of weeks have been packed with some tremendous news about
our challenge to the HHS Mandate.
At the Supreme Court by June 2014?
The
first piece of news I have to share is that the government has appealed
our victory in the Hobby Lobby case. The U.S. Department of Justice
has asked the Supreme Court to hear the case. You can read more about
that by clicking here.
Now,
the Supreme Court turns down a great majority of the cases it is asked
to hear each year. But, this is an unusual situation in which there is a
high likelihood the Court will agree to hear the case:
- Government
requests have a much higher chance of being granted. In fact, about 7
in 10 petitions by the government for hearing are approved by the
Supreme Court.
- This is a
case of great national significance. The issues at the heart of the HHS
Mandate challenge cut to the core of our Constitutionally-guaranteed
liberty.
- There is a
circuit split; that is, courts across the country have heard similar
cases and come to different conclusions. The full 10th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with us on the Mandate. But, panels of judges on the 3rd and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeals upheld the Mandate.
So,
here at the Becket Fund, we are gearing up to make the case before the
Justices of the Supreme Court that people don’t lose their right to
religious liberty when they earn a living.
We
could really use your financial support now, too. Going to Supreme
Court is a huge undertaking. And, the stakes here are high – we could
restore religious liberty for business owners with this case. We’ve got
to be ready to bring our A++ game. So, please consider helping with a generous tax-deductible donation of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000, or even more today.
Our Non-Profit Cases:
The government did a very good job of dividing the challengers to the HHS Mandate – probably hoping to divide and conquer.
It
has set non-profit entities, like religious schools and nursing homes,
on a separate track from for-profit businesses owned and run by
religious business owners. And, it did this by setting up that
so-called “accommodation” for religious non-profits.
For
a while, the non-profit cases were being dismissed by the courts
because the government kept promising to revise the rule and
“accommodate” their religious liberty. Well, that rule is final now and
it still doesn’t protect religious liberty, so we’ve been busy
re-filing our cases. In fact, Colorado Christian University was the
first to re-file its challenge back in August. Since then, Ave Maria
University has also re-filed and we’ll be re-filing for other clients in
the days and weeks ahead.
First Class Action Suit:
So, the Becket Fund was the first to file any challenge against the HHS Mandate.
We
were the first to re-file on behalf of the affected non-profits after
the government’s so-called “accommodation” was finalized.
We were the first to win at an appellate court on the merits – and that was not only before the entire court, not just a panel of judges; but also on behalf of the largest for-profit challenger, Hobby Lobby.
And,
as I mentioned last week, the Becket Fund just filed the first class
action challenge to the HHS Mandate on behalf of the Little Sisters of
the Poor.
That is also the first case filed on behalf of a benefits provider, by the way.
The
Becket Fund is leading the way for religious liberty in the face of the
greatest threat we’ve encountered. Your generous support helps us not
only stay at the forefront of this fight, but stay ahead of the curve.
We’re ready to act because we’ve anticipated the other side’s next move.
We’re
making progress in the fight against the HHS Mandate, but there’s still
a lot of work to do. Please let me know that we can still count you in
as part of the team.
Sincerely,
Kristina Arriaga
Executive Director
P.S. Don’t forget you can always keep up to date with all the news on the HHS Mandate at our HHS Mandate Information Central.
Our Information Central has been cited by reporters, legislators, and
even judges in court opinions. It’s the best one-stop for everything
you need to know about the HHS Mandate – and not just our cases, but all
73 cases! Your support makes it possible for us to influence the
debate on religious liberty with quality resources like that. Please consider renewing your support for our work now with another generous and tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000, or even more today.
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