Calif. Attorney General drags Little Sisters of the Poor back to court Oakland court hearing today will decide if Becerra lawsuit can take away HHS religious exemption from Catholic nuns

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Little Sisters of the Poor will go to court today, to defend themselves against a lawsuit by Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra, who is suing to take away the Sisters’ religious exemption from a Health and Human Services rule. In early October, HHS issued a new rule that protects religious non-profits like the Little Sisters of the Poor from providing services like the week-after pill in their healthcare plans in violation of their faith. The Little Sisters’ four-year legal ordeal was close to an end. Now the state of California is suing HHS to take away the Little Sisters’ religious exemption. Represented by Becket, the Little Sisters will be back in court to ensure that they can continue their vital ministry of caring for the elderly poor without violating their faith.  

What:
Hearing in State of California v. Hargan  

Who:
The Little Sisters of the Poor
Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel at Becket  

When:
Today at 2 p.m. PST  

Where:
Ronald V. Dellums United States Courthouse
1301 Clay Street Oakland, CA 94612

Becket attorneys will be available for comment immediately following the hearing.  

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, contact Melinda Skea at media@becketlaw.org or 202-349-7224. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.  

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Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions and has a 100% win-rate before the United States Supreme Court. For over 20 years, it has successfully defended clients of all faiths, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians (read more here).