Court Dismisses Contraceptive Coverage Mandate Challenge By Illinois Catholic Organizations On Standing and Ripeness Grounds

In Conlon v. Sebelius, (ND IL, Feb. 8, 2013), an Illinois federal district court dismissed on standing and ripeness grounds a challenge to the Affordable Care Act contraceptive coverage mandate brought by Catholic dioceses and related Catholic Charities organizations in Joliet and Springfield, Illinois, as well as by a Catholic high school. The court concluded that the government's March 2012 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking made it clear that the government intends to address concerns expressed by employers with religious objections to contraception. The Chicago Tribune reports on the decision.