The Archive
Reference Library
The founding document as written, a plain overview of the seven Articles, and a glossary of archaic and legal terms.
Back to Supreme Court Rulings
Religion
Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores
Decided: 2014
In brief
Held closely held for-profit corporations can claim religious exemptions from the ACA's contraceptive mandate.
The Court's ruling in depth
Applying the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (rather than the First Amendment), the Court held that closely held for-profit corporations qualify as 'persons' whose religious exercise RFRA protects, and that the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive-coverage mandate substantially burdened that exercise without using the least restrictive means. Hobby Lobby dramatically expanded corporate religious-liberty claims.