Court confronts corporate religious rights; Hobby Lobby at center

The U.S. Supreme Court today is scheduled to decide if it will hear the Obama administration’s appeal of Hobby Lobby’s challenge of the federal Affordable Care Act, the New York Times reports.

At issue is whether businesses can be forced to provide contraceptives to employees – part of the law the retailer argues is in violation of its owner’s right to religious freedom and the company’s Christian culture.

A federal appeals court in June upheld the challenge by Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby and the Green family that owns the chain. Legal experts interviewed by the Times say the court will likely step in and set the stage for another major decision on the ACA’s constitutionality two years after a closely divided court sustained its requirement that most Americans obtain health insurance or pay a penalty.
 
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