Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler
Description: A Washington state law, SB 6219, forces churches to cover elective abortions in their health insurance plans. As a result of the state’s mandate, Cedar Park Church’s insurance carrier inserted abortion coverage, including surgical abortion coverage, directly into the church’s health plan.
WA church back at 9th Circuit to protect pro-life beliefs
WHO: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys
WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler
WHEN: Immediately following hearing, which begins at 9 a.m. PDT, Thursday, Aug. 15
WHERE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, James R. Browning U.S. Courthouse, Courtroom 1, Third Floor, Room 338, 95 7th St., San Francisco; or view the livestream. To schedule an interview, contact ADF Media Relations Manager Bernadette Tasy at (480) 356-0324.
SAN FRANCISCO – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Seattle-area church will be available for media interviews Thursday following oral arguments in Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. ADF attorneys appealed to the court on behalf of Cedar Park Church after a lower court ruled that the church must violate its constitutionally protected, pro-life religious beliefs and abide by the state’s mandate that most Washington employers provide abortion coverage for employees.
In July 2021, the 9th Circuit reversed the district court’s initial decision to dismiss Cedar Park Church’s case, filed after Washington Senate Bill 6219 was signed into law in March 2018. The law requires Cedar Park to provide coverage for abortion if the church also offers maternity care coverage to its employees. Violators face fines and criminal penalties, including imprisonment. The district court ruled against the church again, this time on the merits, prompting ADF attorneys to appeal that ruling to the 9th Circuit. A number of pro-life organizations, along with 18 state attorneys general, filed friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of Cedar Park in this second appeal.
“Cedar Park Church celebrates and protects life from conception to natural death; it’s unconscionable for the state to force any church to pay for abortions,” said ADF Senior Counsel Rory Gray, who will be arguing before the court. “The abortion coverage mandate requires Cedar Park to act contrary to its religious beliefs and violates its constitutionally protected freedoms. The U.S. Supreme Court established that the government cannot compel religious organizations to act in violation of their sincerely held faith convictions. Cedar Park has fought to practice what it preaches long enough. We are urging the 9th Circuit to end over five years of back-and-forth litigation and uphold the constitutional liberties of Washington churches, like Cedar Park.”
Cedar Park had an abortion-free health plan. After SB 6219 went into effect, Cedar Park’s insurance carrier added surgical abortion and abortifacient contraceptive coverage to the church’s health plan to comply with Washington law. But Cedar Park’s insurer indicated that it would remove abortion coverage mid-year if churches obtained an exemption from Washington’s abortion-coverage mandate. That exemption is what Cedar Park has been seeking in court for the last five years.
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT John Bursch
John Bursch is senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom. Bursch has argued 12 U.S. Supreme Court cases and more than 30 state supreme court cases since 2011, and a recent study concluded that among all frequent Supreme Court advocates who did not work for the federal government, he had the 3rd highest success rate for persuading justices to adopt his legal position. Bursch served as solicitor general for the state of Michigan from 2011-2013. He has argued multiple Michigan Supreme Court cases in eight of the last ten terms and has successfully litigated hundreds of matters nationwide, including six with at least $1 billion at stake. As part of his private firm, Bursch Law PLLC, he has represented Fortune 500 companies, foreign and domestic governments, top public officials, and industry associations in high-profile cases, primarily on appeal. He received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1997 from the University of Minnesota Law School and is admitted to practice in numerous federal district and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
ABOUT Rory Gray
Rory Gray, Esq., serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he plays a strategic role on the Appellate Advocacy Team. Since joining ADF in 2011, Gray has worked diligently on key cases to preserve religious freedom and free speech in America. He has served as a member of the main litigation teams in Thomas More Law Center v. Bonta, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission,Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer,Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius, and Reed v. Town of Gilbert. Additionally, Gray has written briefs at all levels of federal and state courts, including an amicus brief in Newdow v. Congress of the United States, in which the Second Circuit upheld the use of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” on U.S. currency. Gray earned his J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 2007. Before graduating, he completed the ADF leadership development program to become a Blackstone Fellow in 2005. After law school, Gray clerked for the Hon. Bobby R. Baldock on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit from 2007-2009 and for the Hon. G. Steven Agee on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit from 2009-2011. A member of the state bars of Georgia, Arizona, and Virginia, Gray is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and various appellate and trial courts.