A federal district court ruled against the Little Sisters of the Poor today. Will the Catholic organization have to go to the Supreme Court again?

We live in absurd times, but that the Little Sisters of the Poor are still fighting for their religious liberty — more than a decade after an Obama administration regulation forced them into court over contraception and abortion-inducing drugs — is ridiculous.

As I discuss in a new conversation with Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket — a public-interest legal and educational institute that has been defending the Little Sisters all this time — even Joe Biden seemed to realize (both as vice president and president) that this dispute is unnecessary.

With already one Supreme Court victory under their rosaries, the Little Sisters and Becket are likely to win again. But, Rienzi says, hopefully it won’t go that far this time and reason and liberty will prevail on appeal.

In the meantime, the ongoing insanity is infuriating for many reasons. First, of course, is religious liberty. Second, consider that the Little Sisters care for the elderly poor: people who might soon be told even by doctors that they are a burden whose lives are not worth living. (Read Elaina Plott Calabro’s new piece in The Atlantic about assisted suicide in Canada.) The Little Sisters are doing beautiful work that our culture seems to no longer considers worthy. That is a sign of a sick, even dying, society. One of the upsides of the continuing judicial bullying of the Little Sisters is that it gives us more excuses to notice them, talk about their work, and support them. The Little Sisters of the Poor are praying for you. Pray for them. Pray for religious liberty.

And, if you can, please donate to the Little Sisters here. Young women, consider a vocation with the Little Sisters here. And watch my conversation with Mark Rienzi: