FFRF filed this 9th Circuit Court of Appeals brief on January 29th, 2024. This case centered around Cedar Park Assembly of God, a church that argued that a state law requiring all health insurance companies to provide citizens access to abortion care coverage and contraceptives, even when not covered by their employer’s insurance, violated the church’s First Amendment rights. This was despite the fact that the church’s employer healthcare was already exempt from providing those types of services. The harms that Cedar Park alleged were rooted in the remote possibility that one or more of its employees might access health care services of which the church disapproved.
FFRF’s brief argued that Cedar Park did not have standing to bring its lawsuit because it hadn’t shown that it was or will be injured by the state law. This was because the intent of the Washington law was to regulate health insurance companies, not employers, and Cedar Park was never restricted from purchasing health insurance that aligned with its beliefs.
This brief was drafted by Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence with Associate Counsel Sam Grover.
