The Latest: Lawyer: Not clear Trump rules would affect women

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Latest on a court hearing in a lawsuit by California over new rules by the Trump administration allowing more employers to opt out of birth control coverage for women (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

A lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice says it’s not clear that new rules crafted by the Trump administration would cause any women to lose insurance coverage for birth control services.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ethan Davis made the comments during a hearing in federal court in Oakland on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by California to block the rules.

Davis urged U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam not to grant the state’s request, arguing that California had not identified a single woman who would be affected by the rules.

Gilliam did not immediately issue a ruling.

Julie Weng-Gutierrez, an attorney with the California attorney general’s office, said the loss of free contraception would lead to unintended pregnancies, which would lead to health care and social costs for California.

10:30 a.m.

California and the Trump administration will square off at a key federal court hearing in Oakland to help a judge decide whether to block new rules allowing more employers to opt out of birth control coverage for women.

U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam is not expected to immediately issue a ruling at Tuesday’s hearing.

California says the Trump administration’s new rules could result in the loss of no-cost contraception services for millions of women in the state.

Supporters of the changes say they protect religious freedom.

Washington, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have also sued the Trump administration over the new rules. But the California attorney general’s office says Gilliam is the first judge to hold a hearing to determine whether to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the rules.