Little Sisters of the Poor return to Supreme Court in historic telephonic argument

Update: Becket’s press call has been delayed due to prolonged oral argument. It will take place at 12:30 p.m. ET. 

WASHINGTON – The Little Sisters of the Poor will once again be at the Supreme Court (virtually) Wednesday to defend their ministry of serving the elderly poor. In Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Sisters are asking the Supreme Court to put a stop to Pennsylvania’s attempt to take away their hard-earned religious exemption from the HHS contraceptive mandate, and end their seven-year legal battle once and for all. For the first time in Supreme Court history, the Court has decided to hear a handful of cases telephonically in the interest of safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, as the Little Sisters work tirelessly to preserve the physical and spiritual health of the elderly poor in their care, it is important for Pennsylvania and other state governments to leave the Little Sisters alone and let them carry out their ministry in peace.

Information for oral argument and press call is below. Further, from 8:45-10:00 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 6, the morning of oral argument, please join a virtual rally to show support for the Little Sisters and all religious ministries that rely on religious exemptions. Information on rally speakers will be made available.

What:
SCOTUS Oral Argument in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Who:
Paul Clement, Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Arguing)
Mark Rienzi, president of Becket (Available for interviews)
Diana Verm, senior counsel at Becket (Available for interviews)

When:
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 at 10 a.m. EDT

Where:
The audio of the arguments will be accessible live via one of the C-SPAN TV networks, online via C-SPAN.org, and on the free C-SPAN Radio app.

Becket will host a press call following arguments at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Call-in for Press Call:
646-876-9923 | Pin #: 930-944-5568 | or join http://zoom.us/my/comms.line.external
Email questions in advance to media@becketlaw.org

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Ryan Colby at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7219. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Hobby Lobby lawyer encouraged by latest hearing

EWTN News, May 24, 2013

On May 23, Duncan argued Hobby Lobby’s case before the full eight-member panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Such cases are usually heard by only three judges of an appellate court. “The mere fact we were standing there before the entire 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is encouraging in and of itself… it’s a really extraordinary thing,” he explained.