Supreme Court hears foster parents’ pleas

While Americans waited for final results in the U.S. presidential election on Wednesday, the nation’s highest court heard arguments in a key religious liberty case. In Fulton v. Philadelphia, Catholic Social Services and the foster parents it works with are asking the Supreme Court to let the agency continue placing children in foster homes according to its religious beliefs. Philadelphia would force the agency to place children with same-sex couples or lose its contract.

How did arguments go? The court seemed sympathetic to the foster care agency. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said there should be a way to allow Catholic Social Services to continue to work with foster families while balancing its religious freedom with the rights of same-sex couples. Several justices noted the lack of evidence that any same-sex couple tried and failed to work with Catholic Social Services. Any who did could foster with more than two dozen other agencies in the city.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report on Fulton v. Philadelphia in Liberties.