Federal judge grants temporary injunction in Bible publisher's contraception rule challenge

In separate action, another judge ruled against Hobby Lobby's effort to be exempted from the contraception mandate.

The Washington Post: Judge Grants Company Injunction Against Health Care Law Contraception Efforts
A federal judge on Friday temporarily prevented the Obama administration from forcing a Christian publishing company to provide its employees with certain contraceptives under the new health care law. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton granted a preliminary injunction sought by Tyndale House Publishers, which does not want to provide employees with contraceptives that it equates with abortion (Frommer, 11/19).

CQ HealthBeat: Bible Publisher Wins Temporary Injunction Against Birth Control Rule
A third private company has won a temporary injunction against a Department of Health and Human Services rule that requires employers to provide workers with no-cost birth control in their health insurance policies. Judge Reggie B. Walton issued a ruling Friday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in favor of Tyndale House Publishers, a publishing company that produces Bibles and biblical commentaries, books about family issues and other Christian-oriented material. The for-profit company, based in Carol Stream, Ill., employs 260 workers and is owned primarily by a nonprofit religious foundation. The injunction applies only to Tyndale and not any other employers. Private companies owned by individuals with religious objections to the rule have gotten the most legal traction so far in more than 30 legal challenges filed to the HHS rule, rather than religious-affiliated colleges or charities that also object to the requirement (Norman, 11/19).

Reuters: Court Rejects Hobby Lobby's Challenge To Contraceptive Mandate
A federal judge on Monday denied a legal challenge to President Barack Obama's signature health reforms, ruling that the owners of a $3 billion arts and crafts chain must provide emergency contraceptives in their group health care plan. The owners of Hobby Lobby asked to be exempted from providing the "morning after" and "week after" pills on religious grounds, arguing this would violate their Christian belief that abortion is wrong (Olafson, 11/19).