The Texas Attorney General’s Office today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 20 states supporting the right of religious nonprofits to exercise religious beliefs. The amicus filed in Zubik v. Burwell results from a consolidation of several cases before the Court, two of which Texas had previously filed briefs in. Texas argues that the Obamacare contraceptive mandate infringes upon the right of religious nonprofits to exercise their sincerely-held beliefs.
“The principles of our nation, not to mention federal law, provides that the government must respect the closely-held religious beliefs of its citizens,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “These nonprofits, driven by faith and sincere convictions, serve our communities in important ways – from education to health care to caring for the elderly. It’s paramount that that they continue their contributions to society, and Texas will continue to fight any impediments imposed upon these organizations by the Obama Administration.”
Attorney General Paxton filed amicus briefs on behalf of 20 states in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell on Aug. 24, 2015, and in Houston Baptist University v. Burwell on Aug. 10, 2015, along with 15 other states. Texas was joined in today’s amicus brief by: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.