The Supreme Court is looking for ways to allow religious non-profit organizations to avoid involvement in offering insurance coverage for contraceptives while seeing to it that employers get the coverage.
The Supreme Court issued an order on Tuesday, requesting all parties to file supplemental briefs discussing potential ways contraceptive coverage could be acquired by employees of religious non-profits through the insurance companies without requiring employers' involvement in a way that would violate their religious beliefs.
"The parties are directed to address whether contraceptive coverage could be provided to petitioners' employees, through petitioners' insurance companies, without any such notice from petitioners," the high court's order read.
The case challenges whether religious non-profits like charities, universities, and hospitals must file a form to the government to opt out of offering contraceptive coverage to employees. The groups who brought the case say that the accommodation is insufficient and still violates their religious beliefs.
A 4-to-4 tie would result in an affirmation of previous lower courts' decisions, most of which sided against the religious groups in upholding the current accommodation.
Briefs are to be filed in the next few weeks by the end of April.
