Sotomayor blocks HHS mandates Admin Thursday, January 2, 2014 Responding to a suit brought by the Little Sisters of the Poor, one of President Obama’s Supreme Court appointees has temporarily blocked implementation of the controversial birth control and abortifacient rules of the Affordable Care Act. © 2023 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: [email protected] The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.