Hobby Lobby prevails in battle against Obamacare

The Arts and Crafts retailer went to the mat over its religious convictions, and on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the privately held company in a rebuke of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.



Hobby Lobby co-founder Barbara Green said her family was overjoyed by the Supreme Court’s decision.



“Today the nation’s highest court has re-affirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country’s founding principles. The court’s decision is a victory, not just for our family business, but for all who seek to live out their faith. We are grateful to God and to those who have supported us on this difficult journey,” Green wrote on the retailer’s website.



In a 5 to 4 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a June 2013 ruling by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that determined that Hobby Lobby and the Green family did not have to comply with a mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that required the company provide and facilitate, against their religious convictions, four potentially life-terminating drugs and devices in the company’s health insurance plan. The Greens argued that the mandate substantially burdened their religious beliefs in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.



In siding with the Greens, the court rejected the Health and Human Services argument that the owners of Hobby Lobby and two other companies involved in the case forfeited their protection under the religious freedom act when they chose to organize their businesses as corporations rather that sole or proprietorships or general partnerships.



To see what Barbara Green had to say about the ruling click here or to read the entire ruling click here.