U.S. Briefs: Christians face foster care freeze-out

Alabama

In a letter dated Nov. 27, Attorney General Steve Marshall and 18 other state attorneys general urged the Biden administration to rescind a foster placement rule they say would drive away Christians. The Department of Health and Human Services proposed the plan in September. It requires children who identify as LGBTQ to be placed with foster parents who will defend their preferred sexual orientation, gender identity, pronouns, and choice of dress. Just two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Catholic Social Services, which refused to place children in households led by same-sex couples. The attorneys general argue the Biden administration’s proposed plan would restrict parents’ freedom of religion in violation of that ruling. They also noted the proposal would limit the number of available homes for children in need since Christians are three times more likely to consider foster parenting. Currently, 391,000 children are in foster care and many others still await placement. —Bekah McCallum

Maryland

A federal watchdog announced on Nov. 30 it will review how a site in Maryland was selected for the FBI’s new headquarters. The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages the government’s real estate portfolio, announced on Nov. 8 it had chosen Greenbelt as the site for the new headquarters. Both Virginia and Maryland competed for the honor. When Virginia lawmakers complained about the decision, the GSA inspector general said he would review the selection process. FBI Director Christopher Wray also expressed concern in a leaked email to personnel. Wray noted a GSA panel recommended a Virginia site but was overruled by a political appointee who picked land in Greenbelt owned by a previous employer. —Emma Freire

Massachusetts

State Supreme Court justices struggled during an early December hearing to apply last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a New York concealed carry ban to the state’s ban on switchblades. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, the court said a weapons restriction is unconstitutional if it isn’t “consistent with the nation’s historical tradition.” Massachusetts justices questioned what history they should apply, national or state, and from what era historical precedents should be drawn. “Does West Side Story … fit into the Bruen analysis?” asked Justice Frank Gaziano, noting switchblade bans proliferated in the 1950s following the movie about knife-wielding gangs. The case will likely return to the trial court for a do-over. —Steve West

Alejandro Granadillo/AP

Puerto Rico

National Park Service officials announced Nov. 28 they intend to select an animal welfare group to rehome about 200 stray cats that live at the 75-acre San Juan National Historic Site. Local residents who call the cats a wonder of Old San Juan and even erected a statue in their honor decried the move. But park authorities said the animals can transmit illnesses to humans, while urine and feces tarnish visitor experiences. Food left for the cats also attracts rats and encourages people to abandon unwanted pets at the 16th-century fortress. Nonprofit Save a Gato manages the cat population through an agreement with the park service and hopes to get the rehoming assignment. But representatives called the proposed six-month timeline unrealistic. Park officials will pay to remove the cats, if necessary, but are open to extending the yet-to-be awarded agreement if they see steady progress. About 1 million people visit the site in Puerto Rico’s capital each year. —Todd Vician

Gretchen Whitmer Handout

Michigan

On Nov. 28, the Wolverine State joined a growing list of those with carbon-free energy mandates. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation requiring utility providers to transition to 100 percent carbon-free energy generation by 2040. Michigan currently ranks 10th in carbon emissions nationally. The new measures call for utility companies to generate 50 percent of energy from renewable sources by 2030. The remaining 50 percent can consist of nuclear energy and natural gas. Renewables, which naturally replenish over time and include wind and solar power, made up just 12 percent of Michigan’s energy use in 2022, while natural gas and coal made up the bulk of it, at 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively. While Whitmer claimed the new measures will lower household energy costs and create new jobs, Republicans warn they will increase energy costs and make the energy grid less reliable. —Heather Frank

Texas

Secession advocates may have garnered enough ­signatures in November to ask Republican voters next year if the Lone Star State should ­reassert its status as an independent nation. The proposal didn’t receive enough votes to make it out of the Texas Republican Party Executive Committee on Dec. 2, but it can still make the March statewide primary ballot if 97,709 of the more than 100,000 ­signatures are verified. The Texas Nationalist Movement has lobbied for what it calls “TEXIT” since its founding in 2005, and the Republican Party has more recently asked the state Legislature to put the issue to a statewide vote. “It is abundantly clear that Republican voters want to be heard on this issue,” said the group’s president, Daniel Miller, in a letter to the Texas Republican Executive Committee. “As these questions are advisory only, there is no harm in asking the question.” No word yet if advocates can get 53,780 valid signatures to gain a place on the Democratic Party primary ballot. —Todd Vician