Supreme Court takes up case on gay foster parents – may lead to reevaluation of 30-year-old ruling that places general law over religious beliefs.
The Supreme Court agreed today to decide if laws against discrimination go too far and violate religious freedom. As part of the case, the court will consider overturning a 30-year-old ruling that says religious beliefs cannot override general laws even if those beliefs violate a person’s religious edict. The case centers around a Philadelphia lawsuit brought by Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic order of nuns. In the lawsuit, Catholic Social Services argue that endorsing same-sex adoptions for children in their care violates its religious teachings about marriage between a man and woman. The case was lost in lower federal courts. On appeal, Philadelphia’s Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that “religious belief will not excuse compliance with general civil rights laws.” The charity says no