The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously this past Thursday against the city of Philadelphia after a long battle with the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s foster care organization over their stance on refusing to accept same-sex married couples as parents for the foster children.
The court took up the case last year after an appeals court ruling upheld the city of Philadelphia’s decision not to place children with the Catholic organization over their stance on same-sex marriage. According to Philadelphia’s local NBC reporting, “The Supreme Court, however, ruled that ‘the refusal of Philadelphia to contract with CSS for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to certify same-sex couples as foster parents cannot survive strict scrutiny, and violates the First Amendment.’”
The unanimous ruling, however, did not fully appease all of the justices, with Justice Neil Gorsuch showing his disapproval of the decision. He cited a precedent, Employment Division v. Smith, which protects governments’ ability to regulate certain aspects of contracts with third-party vendors. The case, despite the Supreme Court ruling, has been sent back to the Third Court of Appeals.
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ARTICLE: ETHAN FINN
MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: AP NEWS
