A federal court in California today issued an order temporarily blocking implementation of the Trump administration’s rules that allow employers and universities to cite religious or moral objections to restrict employees’ and students’ access to birth control. This is the second federal court to block the rules from going into effect.

Americans United, which is litigating a similar legal challenge to the Trump regulations, welcomed the court’s decision. AU attorney Kelly Percival released the following statement:

“Contraception is a core aspect of women’s health care and equality. Using religion as an excuse to deny women access to birth control violates our fundamental principles of religious freedom and fairness. We’re glad the courts have recognized the harm caused to women by the Trump administration’s discriminatory rules, and we’ll continue to fight against them and other attempts to use religion as an excuse to harm others.”

Americans United, together with the National Women’s Law Center and the law firm Dentons, is litigating the case Shiraef v. Hargan in the U.S. District Court in Northern Indiana. More information about it can be found here.