Little Sisters of the Poor head back to court Press call will address new state lawsuits to take away religious exemption from Catholic nuns

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Little Sisters of the Poor are heading back to court to defend themselves against lawsuits by the states of California and Pennsylvania to take away the Little Sisters’ religious exemption from the new 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, Catholic nuns who dedicate their lives to caring for the elderly poor, from providing services like the week-after pill in their healthcare plans in violation of their faith. The new rule should mean that their lawsuit against the federal government will soon end.  

However, shortly after the new mandate was issued, the states of California and Pennsylvania sued to take away the religious exemption the Little Sisters just won. The Little Sisters of the Poor, represented by Becket, are asking the court to ensure that they can continue their vital ministry of caring for the elderly poor without violating their faith. Becket filed to intervene on the Sister’s behalf in California and Pennsylvania today.

The following statement may be attributed to Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor: “Sadly Josh Shapiro and Xavier Becerra think attacking nuns is a way to score political points. These men may think their campaign donors want them to sue nuns, but our guess is most taxpayers disagree. No one needs nuns in order to get contraceptives, and no one needs these guys reigniting the last administration’s divisive and unnecessary culture war.”  

What:
Press call to discuss Little Sisters’ intervention in Pennsylvania v. Trump and California v. Hargan.

Who:
Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket 

When:
Tuesday, November 21 at 11:30 a.m. EST 

Press Call Information:
888-670-9385 | Pin #: 54523
Email media@becketlaw.org with questions 

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).