A federal judge in Illinois has ordered the state to halt enforcement of its assisted suicide statute against Catholic religious orders and the Archdiocese of Chicago while litigation proceeds. U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama issued the ruling on September 11, granting a preliminary injunction that shields specific plaintiffs from compliance mandates.

The order protects the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor, both based in Chicago. It also extends protections to Archbishop Blase Cupich, who is named as a plaintiff in the suit filed on September 3. The injunction applies strictly to these entities; the state retains authority to enforce the law against other providers and residents.

Legal Challenge to State Statute

Catholic objectors initiated the lawsuit through the Becket Law Firm, arguing that the Illinois statute violates religious liberty protections under the First Amendment. The plaintiffs contend that the law forces them to participate in or facilitate medical procedures that contradict their faith.

The legislation, signed by Democratic Governor JB Pritzker in December 2025, permits physicians to prescribe lethal medications to patients with terminal illnesses. Since its passage, multiple legal challenges have emerged across the state.

In a separate action filed in August, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, a Lutheran care home, and four Illinois-based doctors sued to block the law’s implementation. The state agreed not to enforce the statute against those plaintiffs during the pendency of that case. Additional Catholic objectors have since joined the Springfield lawsuit.

Broader Coalition Forms

The Thomas More Society announced on September 11 that five religious health care associations, including the Illinois Catholic Health Association and the National Association of Catholic Nurses, joined Bishop Paprocki’s suit. These organizations represent approximately 95 percent of Catholic health institutions in Illinois.

More than 13,000 health care professionals nationwide are represented by plaintiffs in the Springfield case, according to the society. A doctor and a nurse also recently entered that litigation as individual plaintiffs.

Religious Leaders Respond

Cardinal Cupich issued a statement on September 11 following Judge Valderrama’s order. He emphasized that the Church’s legal challenge is grounded in conscience rights rather than an effort to impose doctrine on others.

“To be clear, the Church’s objection to this statute is not an attempt to impose Catholic teaching on non-Catholics,” Cardinal Cupich said.

He added that the temporary relief does not resolve the underlying constitutional questions and called for the law to be struck down permanently.

Mother Mary Rose Heery of the Carmelite Sisters noted that the injunction provides immediate reassurance to her community. She stated that the order brings peace of mind to sisters, residents, and families who rely on Catholic care facilities.

National Context

Peter Breen, representing the plaintiffs, highlighted the constitutional basis for the challenge. “The First Amendment protects the rights of Catholic and Christian doctors, hospitals, and health care ministries to reject assisted suicide,” he said.

The legal battles in Illinois reflect a wider national debate over religious exemptions from end-of-life legislation. Pope Leo XIV has engaged with members of the Little Sisters of the Poor regarding these issues, meeting with them in Istanbul on November 28.

Judge Valderrama’s order does not resolve the merits of the case. The lawsuit will continue through discovery and likely trial, with both sides expected to present arguments on whether the state’s interest in regulating medical practice outweighs the plaintiffs’ claims of religious burden.