Do For Profit Corporations Have Religious Liberty Rights?
Do for profit corporations have religious liberty rights under federal law and the US Constitution? The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear this issue by accepting certiori of Hobby Lobby v. Sebilius and several accompanying lower court decisions. Hobby Lobby, like a number of other private businesses object to the Affordable Health Care mandate that they provide certain birth control coverage, a mandate that the owners say would violate their religious beliefs if forced to implement it. This decision will have profound impacts on businesses in their provision of employee benefits, discrimination questions particularly in the face of the same sex marriage laws, and accommodation of employee’s religious beliefs and practices. This case will be heard no sooner than March and we can expect a decision by the end of June.
