A victory for the Little Sisters
It was encouraging to see the U.S. Supreme Court decide, by a 7-2 vote no less, that employers with deeply held moral or religious objections cannot be forced to provide contraception in their health care plans.
The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic organization that provides medical care to the needy, had challenged the Obama-era mandate. The organization faced ruinous fines if it didn't comply.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld President Trump's 2017 executive order exempting the Little Sisters and other religious groups from “undue interference from the federal government.” This page argued at the time that Trump's rule change, while granting broad exemptions, would not suddenly create a world where no woman has access to birth control. Many employers provide insurance plans that include birth control coverage, and will continue to do so.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania sued the president. This fight has now lasted nearly a decade and is not likely to end, as Justice Samuel Alito noted. “We now send these cases back to the lower courts, where the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey are all but certain to pursue their argument that the current rule is flawed on yet another ground,” Alito wrote.
For now, though, the Little Sisters of the Poor can claim a victory.
Veterans lost a champion in Charlie Daniels
County music fans lost a star this week with the death of Charlie Daniels, most famous for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Veterans of the U.S. military, meanwhile, lost a great champion. Daniels, 83, spent many years in support of veterans. He performed countless benefit concerts, established a veterans center on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University and served as chairman of the Journey Home Project. The latter assists veterans with what can often be a difficult transition back to civilian life. In April, the Journey Home Project teamed with Code of Vets, another nonprofit, to help veterans during the coronavirus pandemic. “I say this on stage every night,” Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, told popculture. com in a 2019 interview. “The only two things protecting America are the grace of God and the United States military.” His music, like his mission, will live on.
High court united regarding presidential electors
A U.S. Supreme Court that splits along ideological lines on many issues is united on what it sees as the role of presidential electors. The court this week ruled unanimously that states can require these electors, when casting their votes for the Electoral College, to support the state's popular vote winner. Thirty-two states (including Oklahoma) and the District of Columbia have laws binding electors to vote for the popular-vote winner. Four years ago, 10 so-called faithless electors tried to vote for someone other than their pledged candidate. Writing for the court, Justice Elena Kagan said a state may instruct electors “that they have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens. That direction accords with the Constitution — as well as with the trust of a Nation that here, We the People rule.” Hear hear!
Distressing events continue in Hong Kong
Life for freedom lovers in Hong Kong is becoming more difficult as China flexes its muscle and continues to flaunt the “one country, two systems” policy that was supposed to be in place until 2047. China's communist government recently handed down “national security” rules that impose broad police powers including, as The Wall Street Journal reported, “the ability to conduct warrantless searches, seize property, investigate suspects, intercept communications, freeze assets, and prevent people from leaving Hong Kong.” Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, told CNBC that Beijing is looking “to destroy the Hong Kong which has been so successful for decades, one of the freest cities in the world and a great Asian financial hub …” It's a distressing development, to be sure.