Supreme Court denies Hobby Lobby injunction to block Obamacare contraception mandate

Brett T. | 6:49 PM on December 26, 2012

As Twitchy reported in November, arts and crafts store Hobby Lobby had turned to the courts to challenge language in Obamacare that mandates that employers provide contraceptive coverage. A U.S. District Judge had ruled that, because Hobby Lobby was not a religious organization but a for-profit business, it was not exempt from Obamacare’s requirement to provide morning-after and week-after birth control pills as well as some intrauterine contraceptive devices.

J Sotomayor does a little work over the holidays — denies Hobby Lobby bid for injunction on ACA contraception coverage reqt. #SCOTUS

— Brent Kendall (@brkend) December 26, 2012

Today, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined to grant an injunction to Hobby Lobby and to another business, Christian bookstore Mardel. The businesses say they face devastating fines if they do not provide contraceptive coverage beginning Jan. 1, but that wasn’t enough to sway the court.

In-chambers Sotomayor opinion rejects early #Scotus response in challenge to #ACA contraception mandate http://t.co/WNEeJ5Eh

— Adam Liptak (@adamliptak) December 26, 2012

In part, Sotomayor wrote that, “while the applicants allege they will face irreparable harm if they are forced to choose between complying with the contraception-coverage requirement and paying significant fines, they cannot show that an injunction is necessary or appropriate.”

Hobby Lobby case on the merits WILL continue – but no injunction in the meantime.

— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) December 26, 2012

We were assured that we’d like Obamacare once we found out what was in it, but not everyone’s happy about the government’s expanded authority to mandate coverage.