A federal judge in Illinois has issued a temporary order preventing the state from enforcing its assisted suicide statute against specific Catholic entities and religious sisters. U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama granted the relief on September 11, 2026, providing a reprieve for the Archdiocese of Chicago and two groups of religious sisters while their federal lawsuit proceeds.
The order specifically shields the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Archdiocese of Chicago from state enforcement actions. The ruling does not halt the law’s application to other healthcare providers or institutions across Illinois. Democratic Governor JB Pritzker signed the legislation into law in December 2025, permitting physicians to prescribe lethal doses of medication to patients with terminal illnesses.
Legal Challenge and Religious Liberty
The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit on September 3, 2026, through the Becket Firm. They argue that the statute violates religious liberty by compelling participation in the process of ending a patient’s life. Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich is named as a plaintiff in the suit.
In a statement released on September 11, Archbishop Cupich emphasized that the legal challenge is rooted in constitutional protections rather than an attempt 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,” Cupich told the EWTN News. He added that the law should ultimately be struck down permanently.
Peter Breen of the Becket Firm highlighted the broader constitutional implications for healthcare providers. “The First Amendment protects the rights of Catholic and Christian doctors, hospitals, and health care ministries to reject assisted suicide,” Breen stated.
Broader Opposition in Illinois
The Chicago case is part of a wider legal effort against the state’s new law. In August 2026, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki, a Lutheran care home, and four Illinois-based physicians filed a separate federal lawsuit challenging the statute. The state agreed in August not to enforce the law against those specific plaintiffs.
On September 11, the Thomas More Society announced that additional groups had joined the Springfield lawsuit. Five religious health care associations, including the Illinois Catholic Health Association and the National Association of Catholic Nurses, became new plaintiffs. A doctor and a nurse also joined the suit. According to the announcement, the plaintiffs in the Springfield case represent 95 percent of Catholic health institutions in Illinois and more than 13,000 healthcare professionals nationwide.
The temporary injunction issued by Judge Valderrama allows the named Catholic entities to continue operating without fear of state penalties related to the assisted suicide law. The litigation is expected to continue as both cases move through the federal court system.