Scalia death a blow to Obamacare contraception challengers

By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Christian groups asking the U.S. Supreme Court to exempt them from the requirement to provide insurance covering contraception under President Barack Obama's healthcare law face an uphill battle following Justice Antonin Scalia's death last month. The remaining eight justices will consider seven related cases on whether nonprofit groups that oppose the requirement on religious grounds can object under a U.S. law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to a compromise version of the requirement offered by the Obama administration. The court, divided 4-4 between liberal and conservative justices without the conservative Scalia, is set to hear the case on Wednesday.