Religious Liberties for Corporations? Hobby Lobby, the Affordable Care Act, and the Constitution

by Shapiro, Ilya; Gans, David H.

• ISBN13: 9781137484673
• ISBN10: 1137484675
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-11-07
• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot

Summary

This engaging book provides a comprehensive analysis of the issues in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the blockbuster legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act regulation that requires employer-sponsored health plans to provide contraceptive coverage. Through a series of debates between advocates on both sides of the case, the book tackles questions such as: whether for-profit corporations can assert religious-exercise claims under the First Amendment or federal law, whether businesses with religious objections to certain contraceptives should be exempt from coverage requirements, and what the consequences are of the Supreme Court's June 2014 ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby. This case will be discussed for years to come, and the spirited debate between the authors provides fascinating and informative food for thought to scholars, students, and the public as they grapple with fundamental questions of corporate personhood, religious liberty, and health care policy.

Author Biography

David H. Gans is Director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center. David is an experienced constitutional litigator, who regularly participates in Supreme Court litigation, and an accomplished scholar, who has published widely on the Constitution's text and history.

Ilya Shapiro is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute and Editor-in-Chief of the Cato Supreme Court Review. Ilya has filed more than 100 'friend of the court' briefs at the Supreme Court.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. What Rights Do Corporations Have?
2. Corporate Personhood and Religious Liberty
3. The Broader Implications of Hobby Lobby: Is There a Slippery Slope?
4. The Ruling: What Does It All Mean?
Conclusion
Bibliography