The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby is a victory — however qualified — for conscience rights, especially for individuals who choose to organize themselves as profit-seeking corporations. Contrary to much political rhetoric, the ruling leaves women’s rights perfectly intact, and the real-world effect on the availability and financing of various contraceptives will be minimal.
In Hobby Lobby, importantly, the court focused solely on a federal statute, and decided that the mandate violated the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Future cases may deal with the still-open issue of corporate personhood with regard to the First Amendment, but because the court in Hobby Lobby dealt with the application of the RFRA, the First Amendment question was not addressed.
