Judge questions 'ripeness' of legal challenge to health law's contraception coverage mandate

Meanwhile, two more Christian universities have brought lawsuits against this Obama administration policy.

Politico Pro: Judge Questions Wheaton Contraception Suit
U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle questioned Wheaton College closely Thursday as to whether its lawsuit against the administration's contraception coverage mandate is actually "ripe" for review. Wheaton, an evangelical Christian school in Illinois, opposes offering emergency contraception on religious grounds. On Aug. 1, the college asked Huvelle for a preliminary injunction against the Obama administration's contraception requirement under the health care law. But Huvelle, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, said the administration's accommodation -- which is currently in a yearlong comment period -- may well solve the problem (Smith, 8/23).

The Hill: Evangelical Colleges Sue Over Birth Control Mandate
Two more Christian universities have filed suit against the Obama administration over a policy meant to ease women's access to free birth control. In their complaint, Indiana-based Grace College and Seminary and California-based Biola University argue that covering certain forms of birth control for employees without a co-pay amounts to "participating in" abortion. "The mandate imposes a substantial burden on the schools' religious exercise and coerces them to change or violate their religious beliefs," the document states (Viebeck, 8/23).

And Missouri presses on with a legal challenge to the Supreme Court's health law decision --

Politico Pro: Missouri Lawsuit Keeps Mandate Fight Alive
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act are pressing forward with a legal challenge they say could be the first to test the Supreme Court's decision earlier this summer to uphold President Barack Obama's health care law. Filed last year by Missouri's Republican lieutenant governor, Peter Kinder, the suit has been pending in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, awaiting the high court's ruling. Earlier this month, it was updated to react to the ruling that upheld the law (Cheney, 8/24).