Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday granted an emergency exemption for an organization that objected to the contraception mandate tied to Obamacare, saying a group of Colorado nuns who sued over the rule on religious grounds should not have to comply with it until the high court considers the case on its merits this term.
The administrative rule requires large employers to insure birth control as part of their health care plans, including morning-after pills that some religious groups equate with abortion.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s decision came Tuesday night after a different effort by Catholic-affiliated groups from around the nation. Those groups rushed to the federal courts to stop Wednesday’s start of portions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Justice Sotomayor acted on a request from an order of Catholic nuns in Colorado, whose request for a stay had been denied by the lower courts.
Justice Sotomayor is giving the government until Friday morning to respond to her decision.
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