On June 30, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States in a 5-4 decision ruled in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. that, because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act cannot be imposed on a closely held, for-profit company in violation of the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The decision directly impacts only certain closely-held companies. The long-term impact of the decision is uncertain. Justice Kennedy concurring in the opinion of the Court emphasized the narrowness of the decision while Justice Ginsberg writing in dissent asserted that the decision had "startling breadth."
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