Trump Admin Submits New Rule to Protect Little Sisters, End HHS Mandate

With their commander-in-chief back in the country after his first overseas trip as president, federal officials in the Trump administration are moving towards fulfilling one of his key campaign promises. A newly drafted rule submitted this past week for review will reportedly solidify religious liberty protections for the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious groups, who had previously been threatened with penalties for refusing to provide contraception coverage as part of their health insurance plans. Back in October 2016, in a letter to leaders of Catholic organizations, then Republican nominee Trump wrote: I will make absolutely certain religious

Please, Can Someone Help Explain Religious Freedom to Gary Johnson?

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson recently sat down with Townhall.com’s Guy Benson for a fascinating interview covering a number of different topics. In “Part II” of the interview, Johnson intimated that he disagreed with his running mate Bill Weld’s one-time suggestion that Stephen Breyer or Merrick Garland would be ideal Supreme Court nominees, and he suggested that he would not be opposed to a bill protecting the unborn after 20 weeks (though he also insisted that he did not object to the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling being “the law of the land”). However, when the discussion turned

“Game-Changer”: Little Sisters’ Case Sent Back to Lower Courts

In a decision that is widely being touted as a win for religious liberty and the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Supreme Court today announced it would be remanding the various cases involved in Zubik v. Burwell back to the lower courts so that the parties involved could work out a compromise with the federal government. USA Today reports: The justices unanimously sent the cases back to federal appeals courts in hopes that they can emerge with a way to honor the objections of religious non-profit groups, such as charities and hospitals, while still guaranteeing free birth control to

Good News for Little Sisters of the Poor?

In Zubik v. Burwell, the set of cases in which the Little Sisters of Poor and several other religious nonprofits are challenging the right of the U.S. government to force them participate in the delivery of contraceptives, including abortifacients, via their Obamacare-mandated health insurance plans, the Supreme Court took an unexpected step on March 29 — and the results are starting to come in. Before the tragic death of Justice Antonin Scalia, this case was expected to be a 5-4 victory for the nonprofits. Without him, it was expected to be a 4-4 tie, leaving intact (but without the binding