The networks finally broke their weeks-long blackout of conservative wins in the U.S. Supreme Court this session. Among Wednesday’s decisions were two religious liberty rulings that went decisively in conservatives’ favor: hiring/firing practices and opting out of ObamaCare’s contraception coverage mandate. Of course, ABC, CBS, and NBC covered only the latter, with ABC and CBS expressing direct fear of women losing such coverage from their employer.
“As many as 125,000 women could lose contraceptive coverage from their employer-sponsored health insurance after a Supreme Court ruling today,” announced CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, rhetorically clutching her pearls. “The 7-2 majority included Chief Justice John Roberts, who we just learned suffered an injury last month.”
After first reporting on the Chief Justice’s health and recalling that he “has played a dominant role this term, siding with his liberal colleagues on landmark decisions,” CBS legal correspondent Jan Crawford ignored his other instances of siding with conservatives this session and instead said:
Wednesday he was back voting with conservatives in two religion cases, siding with the Trump administration to allow employers with religious or moral objections to opt-out of providing free contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
And, of course, CBS was itching for the ruling that would determine if President Trump’s tax returns would be released to the public. “It all sets the stage for one of the most hotly anticipated decisions of the term, whether President Trump's financial records and tax returns could finally be made public,” Crawford said.
Meanwhile, on ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir teed up correspondent Terry Moran by noting, “this was a big win for religious conservatives and the President” (as if it was the only win they had all session).
Agreeing that it was “a huge win,” Moran noted that the Trump-era regulations that spurred the court case allowed employers who had religious objections to opt-out of providing coverage. But he seemed to huff about employers opting out over “just moral objections to providing that kind of coverage…”
Further, fretting: “The impact is immediate. The government estimates between 70,000 and 126,000 women will lose their contraception coverage under this ruling.”
And they too were rhetorically salivating in anticipation of the ruling on Trump’s tax returns:
MUIR: And Terry, I know you are watching tomorrow, the court is set to rule on another big case, this time involving the president's tax returns?
MORAN: Oh, it's huge. His tax returns, his bank statements.
On an interesting side note: While ABC ignored the breakdown of how the justices swung and CBS noted Roberts was in the majority, neither of them did what Justice correspondent Pete Williams on NBC Nightly News did and show that liberal Justices Breyer and Kagan sided with conservatives on religious liberty.
Their horror at religious liberty was sponsored by Purina on ABC and Carvana on CBS. Their contact information is linked.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
July 8, 2020
6:42:25 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: The major ruling from the Supreme Court today. The court siding with President Trump, allow employers to opt-out of the ObamaCare mandate of providing contraceptive coverage if those employers have religious or moral objections. So, let's get right to Terry Moran, who has covered the court for years for us. And Terry, this was a big win for religious conservatives and the President.
TERRY MORAN: A huge win, David. The court upholding the Trump administration's change to those ObamaCare regulations, which required employers to provide insurance that would cover contraception services for women. The new Trump regulations allow employers who have religious or, as you say, just moral objections to providing that kind of coverage to opt-out. The impact is immediate. The government estimates between 70,000 and 126,000 women will lose their contraception coverage under this ruling. David?
MUIR: And Terry, I know you are watching tomorrow, the court is set to rule on another big case, this time involving the president's tax returns?
MORAN: Oh, it's huge. His tax returns, his bank statements.
(…)
CBS Evening News
July 8, 2020
6:44:50 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: As many as 125,000 women could lose contraceptive coverage from their employer-sponsored health insurance after a Supreme Court ruling today. The 7-2 majority included Chief Justice John Roberts, who we just learned suffered an injury last month. Here's CBS's Jan Crawford.
[Cuts to video]
(…)
JAN CRAWFORD: Roberts has played a dominant role this term, siding with his liberal colleagues on landmark decisions involving immigration, abortion rights, and LGBTQ protections.
Wednesday he was back voting with conservatives in two religion cases, siding with the Trump administration to allow employers with religious or moral objections to opt out of providing free contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
It all sets the stage for one of the most hotly anticipated decisions of the term, whether President Trump's financial records and tax returns could finally be made public.
(…)
