The U.S. Supreme Court has directed a lower court to reconsider a case challenging New York's abortion coverage mandate, marking a potential victory for religious organizations seeking an exemption from the requirement. This development comes just days after a similar ruling in a Wisconsin case involving religious liberty protections.
According to The Christian Post, the high court on Monday vacated a previous judgment against the Diocese of Albany and other religious organizations that had challenged New York's requirement that employer-sponsored healthcare plans cover abortions.
The justices ordered the New York Court of Appeals to rehear the case in light of their recent unanimous decision in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, which established new precedent for religious exemption cases.
The dispute centers on New York's mandate that employers provide healthcare coverage for abortion procedures, which initially included exemptions for organizations with religious objections. However, the state later amended the policy to limit exemptions only to employers with explicitly religious missions.
This restriction effectively excluded religious organizations that serve people of all faiths, placing Catholic and other faith-based groups in the difficult position of choosing between their religious beliefs and compliance with state law.
The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing the plaintiffs, argued that the state was unfairly targeting religious organizations that serve the broader community rather than just their own members.
This marks the second time the Supreme Court has ordered the New York court to reconsider its ruling against these religious organizations. In 2021, the high court previously remanded the case following its decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.
Despite the Supreme Court's earlier directive, the New York Court of Appeals maintained its position against the religious organizations, prompting the plaintiffs to appeal to the Supreme Court again.
Eric Baxter, Becket's Vice President and Senior Counsel, expressed frustration with New York's approach, stating: "New York wants to browbeat nuns into paying for abortions for the great crime of serving all those in need. For the second time in four years, the Supreme Court has made clear that bully tactics like these have no place in our nation or our law."
The Supreme Court's recent Catholic Charities Bureau decision significantly impacts how states must treat religious organizations seeking exemptions from various mandates and requirements. In that case, Wisconsin had denied Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior an exemption from an unemployment insurance program because state officials determined its work was too secular in nature to qualify as a religious organization.
The justices unanimously rejected Wisconsin's reasoning, establishing that religious organizations cannot be denied exemptions simply because they serve the broader community or engage in work that appears secular to government officials.
Noel Francisco, partner-in-charge at Jones Day's Washington D.C. office, which also represented the plaintiffs, emphasized that "religious groups should not be forced to provide insurance coverage that violates their deeply held religious beliefs."
The Supreme Court's decision has far-reaching implications for religious organizations across the country that face similar mandates from state governments regarding healthcare coverage requirements.
The justices' unanimous ruling in the Catholic Charities case, coupled with their decision to remand the New York case, suggests the Court is establishing clearer guidelines for when and how religious organizations can claim exemptions from government requirements.
Religious organizations see this as an important reinforcement of First Amendment protections, while advocates for reproductive rights express concern about potential gaps in healthcare coverage.
