Did the Supreme Court decide whether the government had a compelling interest in providing access to contraceptives in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.?

In Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., the Supreme Court did not definitively rule on whether the government’s interest in providing access to contraceptives was compelling. Instead, the Court assumed for the sake of its decision that the government’s interest in ensuring women have access to contraception was indeed compelling.1

The Court’s ruling focused on the requirement that the government must use the "least restrictive means" to further such an interest under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Court concluded that the government had failed to demonstrate that the mandate was the least restrictive way to provide this access, noting that there were other, less burdensome methods available to achieve the government's goal without forcing closely held for-profit corporations to violate their religious beliefs.21