February 2, 2016
10,000 Ojai Road
Santa Paula CA 93060
Contact: Anne Forsyth, Director of College Relations
(805) 525-4417      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE AWARDED $8.5 MILLION GRANT BY FRITZ B. BURNS FOUNDATION

SANTA PAULA, CA—February 2—Attorneys from the Jones Day law firm, which is representing Thomas Aquinas College in its legal challenge of the HHS contraceptive mandate, report that the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for the case on the morning of March 23.

Last November the Court announced that it would hear seven cases filed by religious organizations in opposition to the mandate, which compels them to facilitate free contraceptive, abortifacient, and sterilization coverage for their employees. The College’s case is among those seven, which the Court has consolidated into a single case, Zubik v. Burwell, and which also includes the case brought by the Little Sisters of the Poor. In January the College’s attorneys submitted a legal brief outlining their arguments to the Court.

At the March 23 hearing, the Court’s nine justices will question attorneys representing the College, other plaintiffs, and the government about the case. A decision in the case is expected before the end of the high court’s session in June.

“We eagerly await our day in court,” says college president Dr. Michael F. McLean, “and hope very much that we will prevail, certainly for the good of Thomas Aquinas College, but also for all institutions and citizens of faith. For the outcome of Zubik vs. Burwell will determine whether or not American citizens of all faiths can be compelled by the federal government to violate their deeply held religious beliefs. This is a watershed moment for our country.”

About Thomas Aquinas College

Thomas Aquinas College has developed a solid reputation for academic excellence in the United States and abroad. At Thomas Aquinas College, there are no majors, no minors, or electives because all students acquire a broad and fully integrated liberal education. The College offers one 4-year, classical curriculum that spans the major arts and sciences. Instead of reading textbooks, students read the original works of the greatest thinkers in Western civilization — the Great Books — in all the major disciplines: mathematics, natural science, literature, philosophy, and theology. Rather than listening to lectures, they engage in rigorous Socratic discussions about these works in classes of 15-18 students. The academic life of the college is conducted under the light of the Catholic faith and flourishes within a close-knit community, supported by a vibrant spiritual life. Genuinely committed to upholding civic virtue and leading lives dedicated to the good of others, Thomas Aquinas College graduates enter a wide array of fields where they are a powerful force for good in the Church and in the culture. Well-versed in rational discourse, they become leaders in education, law, medicine, journalism, public policy, military service, and business. In addition, a steady 10% of alumni go on to the priesthood or religious life.