The Catholic Medical Association helps to defend medical professionals, conscience rights, and religious freedom by joining with public interest law firms including Alliance Defending Freedom, the Becket Fund, the Bioethics Defense Fund, and other legal advocacy groups to file amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) briefs in the most important legal cases of the day. For copies of select briefs in which the CMA has joined recently, click the links below.

2026 Amicus Briefs

• Chiles v. Salazar
  • SCOTUS, in a 8 to 1 decision, supported the free speech rights of a Christian counselor discriminated against by the government of Colorado as she engaged in counseling a person suffering from gender dysphoria. CMA had submitted an amicus in favor of the rights of the counselor. The SCOTUS decision is found here.

• CMA and colleague agencies support an appeal, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd District, against Delaware’s assisted suicide law.

• Curran v. Governor State of Delaware (CMA amicus)
  • The Catholic Medical Association joins Amici in support of a federal lawsuit to block the implementation of the state’s End of Life Options Act (Medical Aid in Dying law).

2025 Amicus Briefs

• Kloosterman v. Metropolitan Hospital (prior CMA Amicus in support of Kloosterman)
  • Physician assistant was fired for refusing to engage in “gender-affirming” interventions. In August 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit upheld her right to litigate her First Amendment claim in federal court (pending).

• Miller v. McDonald (CMA amicus)
  • New York discontinued religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates; religious schools and individuals sued. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the schools and individuals.

• Chiles v. Salazar (prior CMA amicus)
  • Chiles, a counsellor seeks protection from a Colorado law that prohibits her from using talk therapy to help patients struggling with unwanted attractions or identity perceptions. The Supreme Court granted certiorari and heard the case in October 2025. Decision pending.

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany v. Harris (prior CMA amicus)
  • Religious employers sought protection from a New York law mandating abortion coverage in health plans. U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case for reconsideration. New York agreed to settle the case, protecting religious freedom.

2024 Amicus Briefs

• Amici Brief of CMA in US v. Jonathan Skrmetti, et al
  • Amicus to SCOTUS by CMA, et al., in Support of Tennessee Law Protecting Minors with Gender Dysphoria from Mutilating Procedures

• Amici Brief of CMA in Diocese of Albany v. Harris II
  • CMA files Amicus in support of consciences of NY employers who are being forced to provide abortion insurance coverage for employees.

• Kloosterman v. Metropolitan Hospital, et al
  • CMA joins other organizations in defense of religious liberty and in support of a Physician Assistant, Valerie Kloosterman, fired for refusing to engage in deceptive transgender practices. See First Liberty piece here.

• FDA v. AHM
  • The USCCB responded to the Supreme Court’s decision which failed to curtail the current potential risks of chemical abortion, as identified by the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance, of which CMA is a member, in its Amicus Brief. The case against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was brought by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, of which CMA is a member.

• Amici Brief of CMA in State of Oklahoma v. HHS
  • CMA files Amicus Brief in support of the conscience rights healthcare professionals potentially being coerced to refer for abortion under federal Title X funding.

• Amici Brief of CMA in State of Tennessee v. HHS
  • CMA files Amicus Brief in support of the conscience rights healthcare professionals potentially being coerced to refer for abortion under federal Title X funding.

• Idaho v U.S.
  • CMA fights to protect the unborn child and the medical community from being forced to perform abortions in emergency rooms.

• CHCLA EMTALA 5th Circuit Amicus Brief
  • CMA, with colleague agencies, was successful in countering mandates for Catholic emergency rooms to perform abortions. The USCCB issued a response to the Supreme Court Decision on EMTALA and cites their Amicus Brief which CMA joined in submitting to the court. Read the response here.

2023 Amicus Briefs

• STATE OF TEXAS et al v. HHS et al

2022 Amicus Briefs

• Amici Brief of CMA in Texas v. Beccera (EMTALA)
  • Judge Hendrix ruled in favor of Texas.  The brief provided additional support to the argument that the purpose of EMTALA is to protect both the pregnant mother and the unborn child, not to justify intentional termination of a pregnancy.
• DR. A., ET AL., v. KATHY HOCHUL, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY, ET AL.
• Plaintiff-Appellant: Barbara Morris, M.D. v. Defendants-Appellees: Centura Health Corporation…

2021 Amicus Briefs

• Thomas E. Dobbs, State Health Officer of The Mississippi Department of Health, et. al. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, et. al.
• Planned Parenthood South Atlantic et al v. South Carolina et al.

2020 Amicus Briefs

• City and County of San Francisco v. Alex M. Azar et al.

2019 Amicus Briefs

• April 2020: Amicus Minton v. Dignity Health
• Amicus Minton v. Dignity Health: CMA Supports Dignity Health Catholic Hospital’s Rights of Conscience

2018 Amicus Briefs

• Title X Funding: CMA Issues Joint Agency Public Comment Supporting Federal Law Preventing Federal Funding of Abortion.
• World Medical Association (WMA) and Conscience Rights: CMA Joint Agency Petition to AMA to Insist WMA Protect the Right to Refuse to Refer for Abortion.

2017 Amicus Briefs

• Amicus Masterpiece Cakemaker v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission: CMA Supports Conscience Rights of Cakemaker Who Refuses to Cooperate in a Same-Sex Wedding.
• M.C. v C.M: CMA petitions US Supreme Court to End Surrogacy Contracts which Treat the Child as a Commodity Similar to Human Trafficking.
  • The CMA has joined other organizations, respectful of human life and the dignity of human reproduction, in filing a friend of the court (Amicus) brief to the US Supreme Court demonstrating the detrimental effects on the child, and the vulnerable gestational mother, of Surrogacy Contracts.   The goal is to have such contracts declared unconstitutional.
• CATHOLIC BENEFITS ASSOCIATION;DIOCESE OF FARGO; CATHOLIC CHARITIES NORTH DAKOTA; and CATHOLIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION v.UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; and UNITED STATES EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION (2017)
• MASTERPIECE CAKESHOP, LTD., AND JACK C. PHILLIPS v. COLORADO CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION, CHARLIE CRAIG, AND DAVID MULLINS

2014 Amicus Briefs

• MICHIGAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE v. SYLVIA BURWELL
• REACHING SOULS INTERNATIONAL, INC. v: KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (2014)
• KATHLEEN SEBELIUS v: HOBBY LOBBY STORES, INC. (2014)

2013 Amicus Briefs

• LEGATUS v: KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (2013)
• TOM HORNE v: PAUL A. ISAACSON, M.D. (2013)
• CONESTOGA WOOD SPECIALTIES CORPORATION v: PAUL A. ISAACSON, M.D. (2013)
• HOBBY LOBBY STORES, INC. v: KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (2013)
• AUTOCAM CORPORATION v: KATHLEEN SEBELIUS (2013)
• CYRIL B. KORTE v: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (2013)
• TERRY CLINE v: OKLAHOMA COALITION FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE (2013)