{"id":2474841,"date":"2025-08-14T17:47:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T21:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-rules-against-nuns-contraception-mandate-exemption\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T17:48:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T21:48:47","slug":"court-rules-against-nuns-contraception-mandate-exemption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-rules-against-nuns-contraception-mandate-exemption\/","title":{"rendered":"Court Rules Against Nuns, Contraception Mandate Exemption"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-rules-against-nuns-contraception-mandate-exemption%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2474841&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-new-legal-team-for-impeachment-defense-after-previous-team-collapsed\/\" title=\"Trump Announces New Legal Team For Impeachment Defense After Previous Team Collapsed\">federal district court<\/a> in Philadelphia ruled against the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Trump administration by blocking religious exemptions that allowed certain groups to avoid covering contraception costs in their health plans. This decision came after Pennsylvania and New Jersey sued the Trump administration over the religious exemption to the Affordable Care Act&#8217;s contraception mandate, which had been expanded under the first Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>The court found the exemptions to be arbitrary, capricious, and an overreach of the agencies&#8217; authority. The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been involved in legal battles over this issue for 14 years, have vowed to appeal the ruling. The dispute traces back to 2012 when the ACA added requirements for employers to cover contraceptives and abortifacients without any religious exemptions. The sisters took the matter to the Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously in their favor in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration later expanded religious exemptions in 2017,and the sisters won subsequent cases at the Supreme Court,including one against New York in 2025. The current ruling is viewed by their lawyers as a problematic setback that may lead to further legal action to protect religious liberty.  <\/p>\n<div id=\"ld-4686-3758\"><\/div>\n<p><script>(function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:14832835450050406,size:[0, 0],id:\"ld-4686-3758\"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src=\"https:\/\/cdn2.decide.dev\/_js\/ajs.js\";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,\"script\",\"ld-ajs\");<\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/scl\/fo\/nh9x1wtgszn24rbggcdaq\/AP8M53lwLcrSrBoF_O-3R5w\/Photos%20(Credit%20Becket)\/Oral%20Argument%20Photos?dl=0&amp;preview=CA+v+LSP+OA-8.jpg&amp;rlkey=117o8mfe09b2gu263gdo1eihl&amp;subfolder_nav_tracking=1\">Courtesy of Becket<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/14\/district-court-rules-against-nuns-trump-admin-to-block-religious-exemption-for-contraception-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=District%20Court%20Rules%20Against%20Nuns,%20Trump%20Admin%20To%20Block%20Religious%20Exemption%20For%20Contraception%20Mandate&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/14\/district-court-rules-against-nuns-trump-admin-to-block-religious-exemption-for-contraception-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=District%20Court%20Rules%20Against%20Nuns,%20Trump%20Admin%20To%20Block%20Religious%20Exemption%20For%20Contraception%20Mandate&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/14\/district-court-rules-against-nuns-trump-admin-to-block-religious-exemption-for-contraception-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/14\/district-court-rules-against-nuns-trump-admin-to-block-religious-exemption-for-contraception-mandate\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=District%20Court%20Rules%20Against%20Nuns,%20Trump%20Admin%20To%20Block%20Religious%20Exemption%20For%20Contraception%20Mandate&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/14\/district-court-rules-against-nuns-trump-admin-to-block-religious-exemption-for-contraception-mandate\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>A federal district court in Philadelphia&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/linkprotect.cudasvc.com\/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fbecketfund.org%2fmedia%2fbreaking-federal-district-court-issues-nationwide-ruling-against-the-little-sisters-of-the-poor%2f&amp;c=E,1,1jdCZlTSdUizQ8R2DVYxuHLLHh7yG39SzBhF_tdY3ynRmaSWSsLOKloRC5x08HmW93pw1E2RgQWVsswvS_OoFcNSQHufmFt7CyfFGOpx70jb9IjsGDF-&amp;typo=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a>&nbsp;against the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Trump administration on Wednesday, blocking exemptions that prevent religious groups from being required to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >cover birth control costs<\/a> in their health plans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/debt-and-why-the-fed-is-trapped\/\" title=\"Debt\u2014and Why the Fed Is Trapped\">previous failed attempts<\/a> to force the sisters to conform, the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/linkprotect.cudasvc.com\/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fbecketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com%2f20250813120225%2f2025-08-13-District-Court-Order-in-Little-Sisters-of-the-Poor-v.-Commonwealth-of-Pennsylvania.pdf&amp;c=E,1,tnVAGwlHLRslWqUDxMooSifNN5xS42DXNG4fTcEWoJU-Ho28Rbn1hDp8ERDe6ioYAcOOXssne9DUA7kSahbmJbNnFNjXsVce5q9tm-gDZPK0bn8b&amp;typo=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sued<\/a>&nbsp;the Trump administration &mdash; joined by intervenors Little Sisters of the Poor &mdash; over a religious exception to the Affordable Care Act&rsquo;s (ACA) contraception mandate <a href=\"https:\/\/linkprotect.cudasvc.com\/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fthehill.com%2fpolicy%2fhealthcare%2f354232-trump-administration-eliminates-obamacare-birth-control-mandate%2f&amp;c=E,1,NVd-RZPqmYD9ErBp0tQK10cdnAZSWw5BN7zR_utyVNAqDf9iycSHajUWuRUl-9Q3pwZeyaRNMfXqvURD0Tk5eoMGLLzVNuYzkWGPuhgSN-t3PuA,&amp;typo=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">established during the first Trump admin<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2091811360\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wednesday&rsquo;s ruling blocked &ldquo;religious and moral carve-outs to an ObamaCare requirement that all employer health plans&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/5452415-trump-contraception-exemption-blocked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cover contraception at no cost<\/a>,&rdquo; according to The Hill.&nbsp;&ldquo;District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia issued a summary judgment that the rules were arbitrary, capricious and an overreach of the authority of the agencies that wrote them in 2017.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"CaYhayzZQzR4OrIqygSt9NfZCQPUmcc8tlmV1JN2Jbvo5kGUOKHr6MWk4wD0BdnnFsAps6pERxhGuw\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It is absurd to think the Little Sisters might need yet another trip to the Supreme Court to end what has now been more than a dozen years of litigation over the same issue. But we will fight as far as we need to fight to protect the Little Sisters&rsquo; right to care for the elderly&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; BECKET (@becketfund) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/becketfund\/status\/1955683015801057290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 13, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The sisters have vowed to appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s bad enough that the district court issued a nationwide ruling invalidating federal religious conscience rules. But even worse is that the district court simply ducked the glaring constitutional issues in this case, after waiting five years and not even holding a hearing. It is absurd to think the Little Sisters might need yet another trip to the Supreme Court to end what has now been more than a dozen years of litigation over the same issue,&rdquo; said Mark Rienzi, the sisters&rsquo; lead attorney and president of the Becket Fund.<\/p>\n<p>The Little Sisters of the Poor have been in court for 14 years. The trouble started in 2012 when women&rsquo;s health amendments, which <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5576988\/#:~:text=by%20the%20ACA.-,2,provision%20began%20in%20August%202012.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">required<\/a> employers to include contraceptives and abortifacients in their health care plans, were added to the ACA. The mandate contained no religious exemption for organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor. The sisters took their dispute all the way to the Supreme Court, which <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2016\/02\/17\/little-sisters-of-the-poor-prepare-to-defend-themselves-before-the-supreme-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">decided<\/a> unanimously in their favor in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This unanimous decision is a huge win for the Little Sisters, religious liberty, and all Americans. The Court has accepted the government&rsquo;s concession that it could deliver these services without the Little Sisters,&rdquo; Rienzi said at the time. <\/p>\n<p>In 2017, the Trump administration <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2017\/10\/11\/6-things-know-lawsuits-trumps-new-birth-control-exemption\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expanded<\/a> exceptions to the contraception mandate, including a guaranteed religious exemption. Several states have tried to force the sisters to provide contraception. They <a href=\"https:\/\/becketfund.org\/case\/commonwealth-pennsylvania-v-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">took<\/a> their case to the Supreme Court and won again in 2020. They <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/16\/scotus-sides-with-nuns-fighting-new-york-mandate-that-made-them-pay-for-abortions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">won<\/a> an additional case against New York earlier this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jacqueline Annis-Levings is a correspondent for the Federalist. She is a rising junior at Patrick Henry College, where she is majoring in English.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jacqueline Annis-Levings<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JacqLevings\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@JacqLevings<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jacquelineannislevings\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abortifacient\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abortifacient<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/affordable-care-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Affordable Care Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/contraception\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">contraception<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/contraception-mandate\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Contraception Mandate<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/little-sisters-of-the-poor\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Little Sisters of the Poor<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/obamacare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Obamacare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/president-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">President Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image Credit Courtesy of Becket. Share on Facebook, Twitter, Truth Social, Email. A Philadelphia court ruled against Little Sisters of the Poor and Trump admin, blocking religious exemptions from contraception coverage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3848,"featured_media":2474842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/JzMq89kA.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[61294,33740,53870,61295],"class_list":["post-2474841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-contraception-mandate","tag-court-ruling","tag-nuns-2","tag-religious-exemption"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/JzMq89kA.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3848"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474841"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474845,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474841\/revisions\/2474845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}