By Carl Bunderson
Kyle Duncan, attorney for Hobby
Lobby, speaks to the press outside of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
in Denver, May 23, 2013.
The lawyer representing Hobby Lobby and its Christian owners in a lawsuit challenging the federal contraception mandate is heartened following the case's hearing before a federal appeals court.
“We were encouraged by it; we were able to make our points forcefully, and we felt the judges heard what were were saying,” Kyle Duncan, general counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told CNA May 24.
The arts and crafts retailer is one of well over 100 plaintiffs challenging a mandate issued by the Department of Health and Human Services requiring that employers provide insurance coverage for contraception, including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations.
On May 23, Duncan argued Hobby Lobby's case before the full eight-member panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Such cases are usually heard by only three judges of an appellate court.
“The mere fact we were standing there before the entire 10th Circuit Court of Appeals is encouraging in and of itself... it's a really extraordinary thing,” he explained.