This week, the D.C. Court gave a victory in the Belmont Abbey and Wheaton challenges to the HHS Mandate. The court reinstated the Becket Fund’s cases after lower courts had dismissed them as premature. Equally significant was the court’s insistence that two concessions made by the government in court be strictly adhered to:
1. The administration will issue a new rule that protects the colleges’ religious freedom by March 31, 2013, and finalize it by August.2. The administration will report back every sixty days—starting in mid-February—until the two tasks are complete.
This is a prize fight. We won a round. That’s good news. The bell will sound and our lawyers will be back in the ring soon enough.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas!
William Mumma is president of the The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
