Justice Alito Hobby Lobby Religious Liberty SCOTUS - 2014

Historic Voices: Global History and Culture

S05-E01 We feature U.S. Supreme Court Justice Alito and audio summary of the SCOTUS decision concerning Burwell v. Hobby Lobby regarding religious freedom of businesses. The court case examined whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 allows a for-profit company to deny its employees' health coverage of contraception to which the employees would otherwise be entitled based on the religious objections of the company's owner. The Court held that Congress intended for the RFRA to be read as applying to corporations since they are composed of individuals who use them to achieve desired ends. Because the contraception requirement forces religious corporations to fund what they consider abortion, which goes against their stated religious principles, or face significant fines, it creates a substantial burden that is not the least restrictive method of satisfying the government's interests.

In addition to this audio episode, I also provide several PDF documents: first, a short summary of the court case, secondly Justice Alito’s written opinion on behalf of the Supreme Court majority, and thirdly a biographical history of Justice Alito.

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