The University of Notre Dame, along with other Catholic groups, filed lawsuits Monday against the Obama administration over a federal mandate that requires most employers to provide free contraceptives as part of their health insurance plans for workers. The suits were filed in eight states plus Washington, D.C., making them the largest push back against the controversial policy since President Obama announced it in January.

“We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others,” said the Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president. “We simply ask that the government not impose its values on the university when those values conflict with our religious teachings.”