WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Sonia
Sotomayor has denied a request to block part of the federal health care
law that requires employers to provide employee insurance coverage for
emergency contraception including the morning-after pill.
Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby Stores and a sister
company, Mardel Inc., sued the government, claiming the mandate
violates the religious beliefs of its owners.
In an opinion issued Wednesday, Sotomayor said the
companies failed to satisfy the demanding legal standard for blocking
the requirement on an emergency basis. She said the companies may
continue to challenge the regulations in the lower courts.
Company officials say they must decide whether to
violate their faith or face a daily $1.3 million fine beginning Jan. 1
if they ignore the law.
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