From Lancaster Online –
At 10 a.m. Tuesday, when the marshal cries the U.S. Supreme Court into session and Chief Justice John Roberts and eight associate justices take their seats behind a raised mahogany bench for oral arguments, the national spotlight will fall upon Hahn, 77, and the stand he and his family are taking for religious liberty.
The arguments will last only an hour. No decision is expected before June.
At issue is whether for-profit corporations that espouse religious convictions are entitled to exemptions from certain laws, much like churches, under the First Amendment’s free exercise clause and the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Obama administration, acknowledging the objections some churches and faith-based nonprofits have to contraception, offered them exemptions or accommodations.
But in front of the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. will argue for the government that similarly granting a religious exemption to a for-profit corporation that makes components for kitchen cabinets runs counter to tradition, legal precedent and Congress’ intent.
