Hobby Lobby cleared to challenge federal birth control mandate

Oklahoma City – Hobby Lobby has received permission from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to continue its challenge of the federal mandate requiring for-profit employers to offer certain types of birth control coverage as part of their employee health care plans. As a result, Hobby Lobby will at least temporarily avoid having to start paying millions of dollars in fines for non-compliance next week.



Hobby Lobby will continue its arguments in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma that providing federally mandated coverage for what are commonly known as “morning after” and “week after” pills violates the religious beliefs of David Green, founder and CEO of the company, and his family, and that exemption from the mandate should be extended beyond non-profit religious groups. Hobby Lobby currently provides coverage for preventative contraception and says it will continue to do so.



“It is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” said David Green, founder and CEO. “Therefore we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.”



Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit group providing the retailer legal representation in the case, said the decision is a milestone for Hobby Lobby.



“This is a tremendous victory not only for the Green family and for their business, but also for many other religious business owners who should not have to forfeit their faith to make a living,” said Duncan.