Jail Threat For Nuns Sparks Federal Clash

A nun in black attire standing outdoors with a cloudy sky in the background

New York is threatening Catholic nuns who provide free hospice care to dying cancer patients with fines, loss of their license, and even jail time — all because they won’t house biological men in their women’s facility.

Story Highlights

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne have cared for dying cancer patients for free for 125 years — now New York wants to force them to house biological men in their women’s hospice.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) stepped in on June 18, 2026, to back the nuns, arguing New York’s law unlawfully discriminates against religious organizations.
New York’s law lets facilities refuse room assignments for secular medical reasons but offers no equal protection for faith-based objections — a double standard at the heart of the case.
Non-compliance could cost the sisters up to $10,000 in fines, their operating license, and up to one year in prison.

Nuns Fight Back After State Sends Three Warnings

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne run Rosary Hill Home, a 42-bed hospice in New York that has served terminally ill cancer patients at no charge for 125 years. After New York’s Department of Health sent them three warnings for not following the state’s gender identity housing rules, the sisters asked the state for a religious exemption. When two weeks passed with no reply, they filed a federal lawsuit on April 6, 2026. ^[2]

The law at the center of the fight is New York’s LGBTQ Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights, signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in 2023. It requires facilities to assign rooms, grant bathroom access, and use names and pronouns based on a resident’s stated gender identity rather than biological sex. Staff must also complete cultural competency training. The sisters say these rules force them to act against core Catholic teaching. ^[3]

DOJ Calls It Unconstitutional Religious Discrimination

On June 18, 2026, the DOJ notified U.S. District Court of its plan to intervene in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon wrote that New York may have “engaged in unlawful discrimination on the basis of religion.” The DOJ’s complaint argues that New York’s law violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. ^[11]

The DOJ’s core argument is straightforward: New York’s law lets facilities refuse a room assignment when a secular doctor decides it would cause psychological harm to another resident. But the law offers no equal protection when a religious organization objects on faith grounds. That is a clear double standard — one rule for secular facilities, a harsher rule for religious ones. ^[9]

Fines, Jail Time, and a 125-Year Mission at Risk

The stakes for the sisters are serious. Court filings show that non-compliance could bring fines starting at $2,000 per violation, rising to $5,000. More severe penalties include losing their operating license and up to one year in prison, with fines reaching $10,000. The sisters argue the law would force them to abandon beliefs they describe as “central, unchangeable, and architectural teachings of the Catholic faith.” ^[13]

Grok says:
" • The X post is accurate: the U.S. Department of Justice announced on June 18, 2026, its intent to intervene in the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne’s federal lawsuit against New York, supporting their claim that the state law violates their religious freedom.
•…

— Just4usewith_thisapp (@just4usewith) June 21, 2026

Despite the state’s pressure, the New York Department of Health recorded zero resident complaints against Rosary Hill Home over a four-year period ending January 2026. The state has declined to engage directly with the lawsuit’s claims. A department spokesperson told Fox News only that the agency remains committed to enforcing laws that protect residents from discrimination based on gender identity. The DOJ’s intervention now puts the full weight of the federal government behind the sisters’ fight — a strong signal that this case could set a major precedent for religious freedom in health care. ^[13]