A Michigan federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act (ACA), ruling in favor of Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan and his for-profit property management company, Domino's Farms Corporation.

Monaghan, who is Catholic, had filed suit against the mandate, arguing that employer-provided contraceptive coverage had a substantial effect on him personally, 'irreparably harming' his rights to religious freedom and freedom of speech.

Notably, judge Lawrence Zatkoff decided that Monaghan was likely to succeed on the basis of both his First Amendment and Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) claims, a ruling that other courts have been unwilling or hesitant to make.

The government has argued that the contraceptive mandate does not substantially burden a for-profit business owner's freedom of religion, denying that a corporation has the same rights as its owner even if the corporation is closely held. Courts have been wary ...

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