Religious groups that had hoped to block the Affordable Care Act's birth control coverage mandate got their wish late Tuesday night, when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- just before counting down the seconds to 2014's for New York's famous ball drop -- granted a last-minute stay for them. Just hours before the new rule was set to go into effect, Sotomayor halted it at the request of a group of nuns and gave the Obama administration until Friday to respond. Catholic groups have balked at the rule, which requires employers, regardless of religious beliefs, to provide their employees with insurance that covers birth control. The groups want the mandate halted while the court considers a legal challenge, arguing that the mandate is a violation of religious freedoms.
