Although this looks like a really narrow decision, the way to counter this is to be activist consumers..

I have not set foot in a Wally World in over 10 years.

I will now not go with s/o to buy her craft supplies at Hobby Lobby.

Make companies think twice about identifying themselves as religious.

quit going there. Others have done the same. And most of the stuff in HL is cheap junk.

Wally World - I don't even like driving through their parking lot on the way to other stores here.

where to go to get scrapbooking materials made in America, and I'm there.

That place has seen the last of me, for sure.

Citizen's United - Corporations are NOT PEOPLE!!!

Everyone should write their State Representatives pushing the Constitutional Amendment that:
Corporations are not people;
Money is not speech;
Mandate Publicly Funded national, state, and local elections!

If successful this decision is MOOT!!!

... a deeply held religious objection to shopping there.

Hobby Lobby has been on my "don't deal with" list for years.
Long ago I was into model airplanes but life just got too busy.
There is another good hobby shop in the area that has more than Chinese Christmas Trees............

Screw it, I'll make time. 1/48 scale B-24 Liberator. Need to start gathering up LEDs, 555 timers a cheep 5V power supply and such.

Can't say I'm surprised at either decision.

Ari Berman ?@AriBerman
Alito: corporations are people, but unions are not

https://twitter.com/ariberman/status/483614606469103616

Anybody who thinks this makes (religious based) discrimination (against LGBT individuals for example) legal is dead wrong.

Also, the Kennedy concurring opinion would appear to make it constitutionally acceptable for taxpayer-funded reproductive/contraceptive services. I'm not sure if conservatives have attempted to challenge that, but Kennedy expressly said that would be allowable in his opinion.

(Edited to clarify my statement, that this decision, while permitting a specific discrimination against women, does not give fundamentalist whackos carte blanche to discriminate against anyone they want.)

They will slowly chip away at it until it will be.

Who thinks that Boner and the Taliborn agains will ever allow a dime to be spent as below ?

"Also, the Kennedy concurring opinion would appear to make it constitutionally acceptable for taxpayer-funded reproductive/contraceptive services."

blood transfusions or for anything else. Why the carveout for contraception? Tells what the justices think about women's health, hum.

At least, that's my take.

and it pisses me off.

Then get mad, get pissed, get angry, and GET OUT THE VOTE.....

congress to fix this!

for us wimmen.

I really hope a Jehovah's Witness owned company brings suit to challenge the blood transfusion "mandate." We'd see how the right and SCOTUS handle the narrow ruling.

I wonder if they even truly realize the precedent they have set by making this miserable decision. Talk about Thomas Jefferson rolling over in his grave!!!

I've followed this case from the onset and to me, i don't think the conservtard majority on the bench even realized exactlty what a can of worms they have opened up here. Now ANY religious business can make claims about a "deeply held religious belief". That's right.. Right-wing Christians... SCOTUS just allowed MUSLIMS, JEHAOVAHS WITNESSES, SCIENTOLOGISTS and maybe even RAYLIENS to throw in their two cents of jibber jabber about their "deeply held beliefs". Trust me the cases will be coming in droves now.
This is to me a conflict of interest of church and state and i find it highly suspect with regards to it's actual constitutionality.

women just use contraceptives because we're a bunch of trollops, who jump from bed to bed... just ask Rush...

in this country, it was illegal to target a group of persons for separate treatment.

the very definition of disparate impact. Don't we have that standard anymore?

Create a two-class society. Eliminate access to contraception. Outlaw abortion. Mandate heterosexual behavior (forced pregnancy). All in the name of populating the slave-wage labor force to serve the corporate masters.

Sounds crazy, I know. But with the way things would unfold under a Republican led government and this Supreme Court anything is possible.

I think the plan to have a permanent low wage working class has been in the pipeline for years.

Bernie, if you're going to run, run as a Democrat, not an independent.

has absolutely zero basis in the constitution. Because that's obviously true.

eventually, Hobby lobby will either get expanded to the point of creating anarchy, or it will be tossed in the trashbin of history alongside Dred Scott and Lochner.

is a lifestyle choice. Germany doesn't cover contraception or Viagra.

My periods were very irregular and my lining didn't shed so I was at risk for uterine cancer. The mirena keeps the lining thin.

And if you believe that, I have some riverfront properties I need to sell quickly and you look like a fella what knows an opportunity when he sees it. Historic properties, nearby some of the trendiest neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, with a scenic span between them. Waddaya say, pal?

There will very quickly be a lot of companies and lobbyists pushing to stretch those "qualifications" to the point of meaninglessness.

"Here is a further attempt at qualification: This decision concerns only the contraceptive mandate and should not be understood to mean that all insurance mandates, that is for blood transfusions or vaccinations, necessarily fail if they conflict with an employer's religious beliefs."

If they think that corporations will not abuse this, they are at the very least lying to themselves. Legal departments all around the nation are looking at this to see how they can use this to screw unions! I guess it will also be wrong when a Jewish or Muslim buisness starts annoying a suburban employee (sarcasm).

... which is different than a typical public corporation, but I wonder if it says anything about other business entities, such as Partnerships & LLCs. I can see it applying to Partnerships, maybe close corp status is the determining factor?

I think LLCs can be either close or "open" corporations ... it's been a while since I worked with corporate filings.

There were a few excellent lawyers on DU many years ago, who took time to explain legal facts and realities, only to be met with really insulting denials from people who felt they had watched enough Law & Order episodes to have definitive opinions. I think of it as the "I am not a lawyer, but I watched one on TV" syndrome. Full disclosure: I am a lawyer and former law school professor.

got it

Because freedom of religion does not mean being able to impose your religion on others. There seems to a lot of confusion there.

They are making corporations human more and more yet giving them the right to screw over people more than real Humans can get by with. I don't intent to patronize any business with religion. Church is rapidly becoming corporately enforced with our actual constitution becoming toilet paper.

Now if a company owner wants to, they can do just about anything, even discriminate based on race or religion.

"You're a Jew? You're fired."

"No niggers allowed in my store"

The decision explicitly says you can't use this decision to excuse racism or religious discrimination. You can only use it to deny contraception to women.

And the reason for that difference is.....shut up and stop asking questions.

If they came up with a method for men that required a prescription.

really doesn't matter. There is no prescription-based contraception for men that works without very bad side effects.

I suppose protestors will be able to approach Hobby Lobby customers, not be kept 35 feet away, right?

Time to picket Hobby Lobby on a continuous basis until the November election.

The Supreme Court just proved that.

We might as well call it the United Corporations of America, the people do not have much say.

Can anyone provide a list of all these companies in this suit? I will do my best to avoid them. I quit Hobby Lobby from the beginning.

Supreme Court says employers with religious objections can refuse to pay for anything that clashes with their religious beliefs.

They may have qualified it otherwise now, but just give them time and they will extend it to include anything and everything.

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master — that's all."

And I'm going to require my employees to smoke pot. Religious beliefs and all that.

I can e-mail my resume

But it does dismay me. I used to shop at Hobby Lobby now and then, before I knew what they were all about.

much difference in their bottom line, but if enough women stopped shopping there, they would feel a pinch.

This is just another effort for the Roberts Court to mess with the ACA. The ACA is wildly popular and working for most people(except those that live in states that refused Medicaid expansion thanks to the Roberts Court).

Thank you to the Roberts Court for continuing the war and women and helping progressive win elections across the country. We will now need to push for universal health care harder than ever.

Fucking fan-damn-tastic.

Same goes for any other company that does this. They will have a hard time staying in business once only the fundies shop there.

This is also a win for our corporate masters. Their beliefs now totally matter and their employees beliefs do not matter at all.

I've been boycotting them since they filed their lawsuit so it will be easy to continue not going there.

Since I spend hundreds, if not a couple of thousand dollars a year on needlework supplies, fabric for sewing, framing, and other crafts items, that is a loss to their corporation. Apparently they don't care if they lose business from me and friends of mine with the same philosophy!

in the past i bought them at hell lobby. no more
michaels gets my business

I was getting needlework framed there. Since it is a specialty job, each one cost $150-250 to frame even with the Hobby Lobby discount.

Sorry, no more - I'll pay two or three times as much but get the work done at a business that does not impose religious views on their employees.

In fact, I am approaching the point where I hesitate to do business with companies or individuals who bring any religious views into public view. If they have a cross, fish, or wish me "God bless" I don't spend my money with them. It's my right as an atheist to not do so, but I feel as though I am being pushed to discriminate against Christians simply because THEY are making it a political issue and intruding religion on my secular life.

It's amazing how many people don't understand that freedom of religion includes freedom FROM religion.

I'm not against religion, it provides meaning & comfort to many people's lives & I'm sincerely happy for them ... "lord" knows we all need some of that. What I'm against is people trying to impose their beliefs on me.

Needlework supplies, etc from HL. They will not see another dime from me. I'll drive further to another store, or order off the internet.

There is a "local" needlework shop. The owner is not knowledgeable about needlework and buys what catches her eye, so the standard supplies aren't there and some exotic stuff is. She doesn't keep regular hours, so you have to call ahead to see if the store is open. And the shop is a 40+ miles one way trip for me. I've tried doing special orders - nothing fancy, just blank 18 count white canvas - and after over three years have heard nothing.

The next "closest" shop is over two hours drive and they mostly are selling the leftovers from a very well stocked store that closed ten years ago. So they pretty much are left with the dregs - ugly colors of threads, odd bits of fabric, and tools no one wants.

So unless JoAnn's Fabrics carries it (DMC floss and pearl, Aida and some "linen&quot I order online. Or I wait until I am going to a seminar - at the last two Embroiderer's Guild of America national seminars I spent a bunch of money, but I have what I need for a lot of projects and odd bits and pieces for impulse projects. Good thing I have a stash accumulated over 40 years of stitching!

Let the revolution begin....Let's take down the "supreme court" and everybody who believes in these draconian decisions of theirs.

Generally, a closely held corporation is a corporation that:

- Has more than 50% of the value of its outstanding stock owned (directly or indirectly) by 5 or fewer individuals at any time during the last half of the tax year; and
- Is not a personal service corporation.

http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/Small-Business,-Self-Employed,-Other-Business/Entities/Entities-5

On their employees?

.... now impose their religious views on all of us.

is your employer's religion is more important than your rights

Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy were approved by a Democratic Senate.
And the minority Dems had the ability to block Alito and Roberts, but chose not to.

What they are saying is that they would rather spend much more to care for a child than for a pill that would prevent it.

The religious fundamentalist have fucking won!

It's the Irish Catholic solution- so long as they are born and baptized, they can die afterwards and 'go to heaven'. In the meantime their suffering is justified because they are sinners. Sick fucks.

Are dancing in the Streets

which means Hobby Lobby comes out ahead, even though there will be some unwanted births their insurance company will have to cover. And the employee may well leave at some stage (after all, Hobby Lobby is a shit employer, as their attitude about this shows), so health coverage for the child may get covered by someone else.

For an unscrupulous employer like Hobby Lobby, this puts the responsibility for health care costs on to other people.

And hope we have a D as president, and that we have a senate not run by t-baggers.

From the feed -

Sure hope all the Nader supporters are proud of their handiwork.

that corporations continue to be considered "people" whereas gays are non-existent as "people".

Hell, blacks were only 3/5th of a "person" (per the Constitution) at one time.

You can't put a corporation in jail. If a "person" cannot be held responsible for their actions, it's no "person" at all.

There's too many of these divided rulings decided by only 1 vote. If even 1 justice retires or dies, their replacement could change the balance on many important cases.

We need enough dems in congress to support Obama's judicial nominees. GOTV!!!

but when those confirmations came up, Roberts, Alito, our "democratic" senators didn't do anything...

Yeah, the president gets to pick the people on his team.

What about OUR team?

but how about channel your anger towards get out the vote efforts?

Kagan and Sotomayor didn't get there without Dem votes.

Democrats voted for them, too.

I choose which democrats I will vote for. And it won't be a fake democrat.

Employers should not be meddling in their employee's health matters in the first place.

Corporations are people who have the right to free speech and to buy politicians, the have the right to religious beliefs so they don't have to pay for those pesky woman's birth control. What I want to know is, when are their birth certificates being issued?

That's it, there is NO FUCKING BIRTH CERTIFICATE! They can't be an American company.

I really think we will live to regret this decision. But the lawyers are gonna make bank on subsequent litigation.

-- Mal

Who can't see the difference between her and the GOP. THIS CASE SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE.

Anyone who sits home or skips the race in 2016 over a hissy fit isn't someone who deserves respect and are easily compared to the mcdainel voters who wont vote for cochran.

anyone who sits home, or skips THE 2014 elections deserves no respect.

Want to send a message that you're pissed at the Conservative Supremes...then get out and vote the fundamentalist asshat Congressmen and Senators out in 2014!

If folks would get out and vote this November, we could send a very poignat message to the wingnuts...heck, if we pick up some seats in the Senate, this President may be able to replace a wingnut Supreme...should some unfortunate accident happen to cause them to stepdown.

make me wrong? If you've got a pub in the white house, it doesn't matter what's going on in the senate.

place as much emphasis on the Mid-term elections that we should.

If only the same folks who turned out in 2008, had turned out in 2010, we wouldn't have John Boehner as Speaker of the House, and we surely wouldn't have emboldened the "Tea-baggers" to treat this President like a bastard stepchild.

Didn't mean to suggest you were wrong personally...just that the premise of concentrating on 2016 may make us ignore the opportunity that is right in front of us...2014!

Another way to put this would be...what would it matter to have a Democrat in the White House in 2016, if the Repukes control the Senate? Do you really think any Dem, at this point...given the absolute intransigence of the wingnuts...could get any SC Justice through?

We've seen how much obstruction these a$$hats throw down when they just control 1 part of Congress (control, BTW, that we ceded to them by not coming out in-force in 2010). Imagine if they had the Senate too.

No, it's too early to start talking about 2016...the message needs to be sent this year

I vote every single year - even if it's just for local stuff. Since my 18th birthday. Anyone who sits home is part of the problem and not someone I take seriously on any issue.

I am not a Hillary fan, but if she wins the nomination, I will be voting for her, just like I will vote for whoever wins the nomination come November. The idea that the two parties are the same is BS, and those who can't vote for the democrat running because they aren't "liberal" enough, is just plain crazy. If we don't replace the idiot republicans in congress we will end up with every worse laws from them and the republican dominated Supreme court.

The time to make changes in the party is during the primaries, after that the way to change is getting rid of the tea party and republicans who want to make this country into their own insane hell on earth, at least for anyone who doesn't agree with them. The choice is yours, but think of the consequences, then get out and vote.

given the ages of the justices, the 5-4 division is going to break solidly one or the other. As far as the courts go, this is the most important election in decades.