July 07, 2026 4:39 PM ET Two blue states are still trying to force nuns’ healthcare plans to cover contraceptives. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty asked an appeals court today to thwart a ruling requiring the Little Sisters of the Poor to include contraceptives in their healthcare plan, Becket stated in a press release Tuesday. An Obama-appointed federal judge ruled in August 2025 that the group of Catholic nuns must comply Pennsylvania’s and New Jersey’s mandate or risk facing millions of dollars in fines. (RELATED: Pope Praises American Legal Fund’s Efforts To Defend Religious Liberty)“For fifteen years, government officials have stepped into the ring with the Little Sisters and gotten pummeled every time,” Becket president Mark Rienzi, the Little Sisters’ lead attorney in the case