Supreme Court returns controversial contraception case to lower courts
- 8 years ago
The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not rule in a major case on access to contraception, and instructed lower courts to explore whether a compromise was possible.
The ruling gave every indication that it hopes to avoid 4-4 deadlocks in the future at the expense of the court not drawing a conclusion to the question at hand.
The case in question, Zubik v. Burwell, was sent to the highest court by religious groups that object to providing insurance coverage for contraception to their female employees.
"The parties on remand should be afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates petitioners’ religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners’ health plans ‘receive full and equal health coverage," the court said in a statement.
The ruling gave every indication that it hopes to avoid 4-4 deadlocks in the future at the expense of the court not drawing a conclusion to the question at hand.
The case in question, Zubik v. Burwell, was sent to the highest court by religious groups that object to providing insurance coverage for contraception to their female employees.
"The parties on remand should be afforded an opportunity to arrive at an approach going forward that accommodates petitioners’ religious exercise while at the same time ensuring that women covered by petitioners’ health plans ‘receive full and equal health coverage," the court said in a statement.