Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington v. Burwell

Questions presented

SCOTUS records, cert granted 6 Nov 2015

Whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act ("RFRA'') allows the Government to force objecting religious nonprofit organizations to violate their beliefs by offering health plans with "seamless" access to coverage for contraceptives, abortifacients, and sterilization.

Opinion summary

Etalia.ai summary of the majority opinion

The case involved a challenge by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington against provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required employers to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives. The plaintiffs argued that this mandate violated their religious freedoms under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). They contended that even with an accommodation allowing them to opt-out directly, they were still complicit in providing contraception indirectly through third-party insurers. The Supreme Court was asked to consider whether these accommodations sufficiently protected religious organizations' rights or if they imposed a substantial burden on their exercise of religion.