The Supreme Court this morning struck down the Obamacare contraception mandate and ruled in favor of craft supply store Hobby Lobby. In a 5-4 decision, the Court decided that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act applies to closely held for-profit corporations just as it applies to non-profit organizations that object to providing contraceptive coverage. This is the first time SCOTUS has ruled that for-profit corporations can hold religious views, and is sure to spark debates about both religious freedom and corporate personhood. The Court said that the mandate wasn’t the least restrictive means for the government to advance its goal of covered birth control. Justice Alito wrote the opinion of the Court, with Justice Kennedy concurring, and two separate dissenting opinions were filed by the liberal justices.
The Court also ruled in favor of Illinois home care workers who don’t want to be forced to pay union dues, though it didn’t apply the principle to all public-sector workers. If it had, the result would have been something close to a national right-to-work law. This decision, Harris v. Quinn, was also 5-4.
