Attorney General Olens Files Brief in Support of Religious Freedom

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens has filed a friend of the court brief supporting the case of Zubik v Burwell. In that case, the Supreme Court will decide if the contraceptive mandate found in the Affordable Care Act, and the accommodation that says religious institutions can notify HHS that they don’t wish to provide contraceptive coverage, so the government can arrange for coverage violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Commenting on the brief, Attorney General Olens said, “Religious liberty is a fundamental principle upon which our nation was founded. I will continue to defend the Constitution, and Georgians, from an administration driven to exercise government power over our freedoms, our rights, and our lives.”

From the brief:

Religious nonprofits serve their communities in a variety of ways, from caring for the youngest members of society, to serving the elderly with compassion, to providing educations that allow individuals to pursue their own contributions.” “Erecting impediments to their adherence to their religious beliefs can threaten such religious nonprofits’ continued work, which is driven and shaped by those beliefs.

The amicus brief is being jointly filed by Georgia and 19 other states. The Supreme Court has yet to set a date for oral arguments in the case.